The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will be without a full-time lobbyist for much of the upcoming state legislative session.

Tim Holverson, the chamber’s vice president of public policy, announced he was leaving the chamber to accept a job as the director of governmental affairs and strategic alliances with the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors. His last day at the chamber will be Jan. 22.

Holverson was the chamber’s main lobbyist in Topeka, advocating for issues ranging from business taxes to economic development. Jean Milstead, the chamber’s interim president and chief executive, said she, chamber chairman Kelvin Heck and volunteers likely would handle the lobbying duties until a replacement was found.

Milstead, though, said she didn’t believe the chamber would hire a replacement for Holverson until a replacement had been found for former CEO Bill Sepic, who left the chamber last month to take a similar position in Lansing, Mich. Sepic’s position is not expected to be filled until April.

Holverson’s resignation is the fourth from the chamber in the last six months. In addition to Sepic, former director of business development Kate Michaelis resigned in the fall, and Kathy Bechtel, former director of communications, left in late November.

Bechtel on Wednesday, for the first time, confirmed that she was terminated from the position and believed it had to do with financial reasons.

Milstead said the chamber’s membership numbers were down by about 8 percent compared to a year ago because of the downturn in the economy, but she said Bechtel’s release wasn’t financially motivated. She declined to comment further, citing a chamber policy to not comment on personnel matters.

But Milstead said she didn’t think the recent turnover of staff members was indicative of any problems at the organization.

“The staff has put up with some ups and downs and changes in the makeup of the staff and in leadership styles, but I think we’re coming out of it a better staff,” Milstead said. “The staff is not a problem here.”