Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006

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THE BUZZ | Sanford may enter blogosphere

“We’re not the worst in the country. We’re making some improvements.”

— Mack Whittle, chief executive officer of Carolina First and the past president of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, discussing a wide-ranging report on the state’s public education system.

Gov. Mark Sanford is considering adding personal accounts of his workdays to his state Web site.

The purpose: more public policy discussion with residents.

Sanford said while he’s stopping short of his own profile on myspace.com, he could envision a blog of sorts to communicate more personally, offering a cyberspace version of his in-office visits with residents.

His comments were made after a cabinet meeting held last week to discuss the state’s online presence. State Web sites for the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism permit residents to renew their driver’s licenses or reserve cabins at state parks, for example.

“(We) can more efficiently provide this good or service from government, but we still don’t have a very dynamic feedback loop,” Sanford said of the state’s online services.

IN THE BEGINNING

Native son John Edwards was back in the state last week, and he had a packed house of Democrats enthralled.

There is something different in 2006 about the 2004 vice presidential nominee. Maybe it is a touch of the self-deprecating humor voters like to see in politicians.

If you were conscious in 2004, you probably knew Edwards came from rather humble beginnings. “Son of a mill worker” became one of those ubiquitous descriptors sometimes attached to individuals.

It’s like “home run champion Hank Aaron,” “former dictator Idi Amin” or “Andre Bauer, who was stopped — but not ticketed — for speeding.”

Well, Edwards has recognized that it might have been a tad too much last time.

“I think you might recall that I’m the son of a mill worker,” Edwards said to laughter — and relief.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

Attached to the bottom of a press release from Board of Economic Advisors chairman John Rainey last week was a small note requesting “proper business attire.”

Blogs, most notably that of former gubernatorial press secretary Will Folks, have noted Rainey’s fondness for Southern style. Folks even had gone so far as to dub Thursday’s dilettante detente between Rainey and GOP treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel as the “seersucker showdown.”

Alas, The Buzz was crestfallen when Rainey showed up wearing only a dull shade of taupe.

“I didn’t wear my seersucker suit today,” Rainey said, noting he didn’t want his preference for puckered blue and white to be a distraction. “I hope that didn’t disappoint anybody.

GOING ON

Sam Tenenbaum usually has his say on an issue — even when he shouldn’t.

Columbia’s homeless pointman came to the state Budget and Control Board last week to request a one-year lease for an unused building on the state Mental Health Department’s Bull Street campus. The building would become a homeless shelter for a year while local governments decide on a permanent location.

Despite pointed opposition from local residents and state Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, the Budget and Control Board voted 3-2 to approve the lease.

After the vote, Tenenbaum continued to plead his cause’s merits —— terrifying allies around the room. Eventually, Gov. Mark Sanford, himself seldom at a loss for words, cut in, advising Tenenbaum to quit “when you’ve won the sale.”

GULF COAST FOCUS

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, will lead a delegation of about 20 Democratic House members to the Gulf Coast region this week to mark the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Members will host a town hall meeting in Bay St. Louis, Miss., to discuss insurance claims and coverage. Lawmakers also will host a policy forum with local elected officials and experts to discuss the challenges the people of the Gulf Coast face a year after the disaster.

“South Carolina learned after Hurricane Hugo that disaster can strike our state at any time,” Clyburn said. “We can relate to the experiences of the Gulf Coast region and want to ensure we are prepared to respond more effectively and efficiently next time.”

WHAT THEY MAKE

Go to http://www.thestate.com/ for a searchable list of salaries for state employees earning more than $50,000 a year.