(Columbia-AP) April 16, 2003 - Governor Mark Sanford talked about it during his campaign, and Wednesday he unveiled his plan to restructure state government.

Surrounded by top legislative leaders, including House Speaker David Wilkins and Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, Governor Sanford laid out the South Carolina Government Restructuring Act.

The legislation would give the governor wider appointment power for constitutional officers, including secretary of state, superintendent of education, commissioner of education and treasurer and allow for the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket.

The lieutenant governor would become a full time position, but the lieutenant governor would no longer preside over the Senate.

Among current statewide elected offices, only the attorney general and adjutant general would remain on the ballot.

The bill would give the governor greater flexibility to move cabinet agency programs and functions from one agency to another. The plan also would greatly reduce the size of the Budget and Control Board and hand a number of programs the board currently manages, such as the Office of General Services and the Energy Office, to a newly created a cabinet level Department of Administration.

Sanford says at its heart restructuring is about delivering more cost effective and cost efficient government, "South Carolina is 30 percent above the US average in the cost to deliver goods and services to its citizens, not because of the legislative body, not because of the executive branch, but because of how the process works."

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell says the legislation would make state government leaner and more responsive.

Some lawmakers have concerns about having constitutional officers appointed rather than elected. House Minority Leader James Smith says it would remove direct public input on constitutional officers. 
    
Among the current statewide officers WIS News 10 contacted Wednesday, Secretary of State Mark Hammond, Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Sharpe and Treasurer Grady Patterson all say they oppose the idea. Sharpe and Patterson both compared the idea to setting up a dictatorship in South Carolina.

Updated 8:11pm by Chris Rees