Island Packet Online: Sanford must now focus his plethora of new ideas

Gov. Mark Sanford showed leadership and fresh ideas South Carolina sorely needs as he delivered his first State of the State address Wednesday.

He acknowledged the state budget is a mess. He cited reasons he thinks it got that way. And he proposed some changes to avoid future problems.

True to his campaign, Sanford came in the door with a load of ideas, not promises for new programs. The best of his ideas promote better accountability for state government, more openness and more accurate budgeting.

As a Republican governor with a Republican majority in both the House and Senate, Sanford begins his rare chance for action with a long list of things to do. The top priorities should be to:

Remove politics from the Board of Economic Advisers, a step that should increase accuracy in state revenue projections.

Switch to biennial state budgets, with 10-year plans for capital improvements. This should help eliminate the "annualization" problem that is a major factor in the $500 million shortfall that awaits this year's budget writers. This is the practice of the legislature approving long-term programs with one-time money. Two-year state budgets would put a damper on the legislature's annual spending sprees and help the state better establish its priorities.

Halt state lobbying. Sanford said the state spends about $2 million a year lobbying itself.

Open campaign financing so the public knows who is donating to each candidate.

Give Cabinet members, including the governor, the power to pick top managers. "I can't replace the head of Public Safety or the head of the Division of Motor Vehicles who works for him," Sanford said. "How can we ever get good government in South Carolina with this type of accountability?"

Open state agencies to the legislature and general public. Sanford said agencies are guilty of stonewalling the legislature when it seeks facts, and he pledges to stop that.

Open the Department of Commerce to greater public scrutiny. Secrecy has led to scandals, questionable spending, and a lack of basic public information on how incentives to woo new industry affects taxpayers and local governments.

Sanford wants to add common sense and accountability to the unwieldy system of higher education in this state, and his suggestions need attention.

Sanford's emphasis on maintaining and improving the quality of life in South Carolina, which he correctly sees as a foundation to the economy, must include teeth in enforcing environmental law and protection for local governments to enact land-use regulations for growth control.

Sanford has many other ideas -- enough to fill both today's op-ed page and next Sunday's, as we publish his entire State of the State address.

That means he needs to set clear priorities, and so does the legislature. No one should expect to alter the underpinnings of state government in a day, or to embark on that until the current budget crisis is resolved.

As we go forward, the public must hold Sanford to his word. His push for open government was tainted when he said task forces he set up in the transition period could meet secretly at times. That is a mixed message.

Sanford said the focus of his administration is jobs and wealth creation. We join recent governors who have believed the best way to achieve that goal is through improved public schools, particularly in the early grades. South Carolina schools have made dramatic progress in the past four years, and that must continue in spite of budget problems.