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A spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford said Wednesday that he is "not inclined" to appoint an interim county auditor to fill the vacancy left by the late Ed Haskins, who died early Wednesday.

Spokesman Joel Sawyer and County Attorney Mark Tollision said state law designates the deputy county auditor to serve the function of auditor in the event of a vacancy caused by death.

Greenville County's deputy auditor is Warren Rollins.

Sawyer said since the law spells out the duties of the deputy, and since voters will pick a new auditor in November, the governor likely won't fill the vacancy, although he is authorized to do so.

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County Councilman Scott Case defeated Haskins in this year's Republican primary race. Case now faces Democratic opponent Mary Strom.

Case declined to discuss the office this afternoon, saying, "The focus of everyone right now should be on Ed Haskins' family."

Although an election will decide the new office holder, the auditor's office is unusual because the seat isn't filled until the end of the fiscal year, which would be the summer of 2007.

The office, though low-profile, performs the calculations that determine what people pay in property taxes -- a particularly crucial role given recent property tax reform and the county's reliance on it as a primary source of revenue.