Ex-Sanford colleague helping auto park developer

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Republican Matt Salmon served in Congress for six years, representing the Phoenix suburbs, before running unsuccessfully for governor of Arizona this past fall.

Salmon, now a lobbyist, said he has a small equity interest in Rosen Associates Development Inc., the Rosen company that aspires to develop the park, and is also drawing a salary for his work on behalf of Rosen.

The Sanford administration has been negotiating with Rosen for weeks.

Rosen could not be reached for comment Friday.

Greenville business and political leaders were caught off guard in mid-January when the newly elected Sanford asked for 60 days to review the project.

"My role is to try to get this back on track and try to bring a positive outcome for all parties concerned," Salmon said Friday.

Salmon said he called on the governor in Columbia last week "out of courtesy to tell him I was involved in the project."

Salmon said he also phoned Bob Faith, South Carolina's Commerce secretary, and met with Bill Smith, a Clemson University trustee who is negotiating with Rosen on behalf of the administration.

The governor said he knew about the contact with Salmon, saying Salmon called to say he was going to be in Columbia and asked for 15 minutes of his time. Sanford said he invited Salmon to dinner to talk about their days in Congress and their gubernatorial races before he knew Salmon was representing Rosen.

"Oddly enough, he goes to telling me at the dinner table about a developer from Miami named Cliff Rosen," Sanford said, chuckling. "It surprised me. I thought it was for just old times sake."

Rosen Associates has been working with Clemson to develop the research park on 407 acres along Interstate 85 south of Greenville. Plans call for Clemson to operate a graduate school of automotive engineering and wind tunnel at the site.

The Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce has worked with Clemson for more than two years on the project and hopes it will create more than 20,000 high-paying jobs over time.

The governor has questioned whether Rosen is putting up enough money to justify the benefit he'd receive from millions of dollars the state might pump into the park.

The State Infrastructure Bank has allocated $12 million to build roads in the park. South Carolina may also provide $25 million to build the Clemson graduate school and another $15 million to endow professorships.

Salmon said that Rosen Associates has spent a lot of money and time on the project and if the company is not included, another developer would take a year or two to break ground.

"Meanwhile, we're in an economic slump," Salmon said. "We can be in the process of bringing jobs or we can keep diddling around. It's beneficial to everyone to keep this train moving."