Republican Rep. Roland Smith, of Langley, says Gov. Mark Sanford's main hurdle for his second year is to have a better dialogue with the Legislature. Annette M. Drowlette/Staff

Sanford displays lone-wolf tendency

COLUMBIA - Somewhere between Gov. Mark Sanford's ambitious campaign goals and the lessons and lumps he picked up during his first year in office are clues to how his remaining tenure will play out.

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Republican Rep. Don Smith, of North Augusta, says Gov. Mark Sanford's main hurdle for his second year is to have a better dialogue with the Legislature. Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff Political experts say Gov. Mark Sanford's second year in office will shape his chances for re-election. Chris Thelen/Staff

It could be rocky.

Political experts agree that most roads to success in Columbia go through the Legislature. And with both the House and the Senate controlled by his party, the Republican governor would seem to be in a prime position to make things happen.

Rather than form alliances with key leaders, though, Mr. Sanford has frequently made big decisions independently, leaving legislators guessing about his next move.

"They're too often surprised about where he's going," said Bob Botsch, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken.

"He is supposed to be the leader of the Republican Party, and it's as though he's riding around on his horse and the soldiers don't know where he's going from day to day."

In a recent telephone interview, the governor said strained relations between his office and lawmakers were the result of "natural tension" between the executive and legislative branches.

"Any time you've got a brand new governor who's not been a product of the General Assembly, particularly one as focused on change and not necessarily doing things the way they've been done, you're going to have some communication problems. Period," Mr. Sanford said.

But the governor's sharp public criticism of lawmakers has fanned their ire, as did a published list of legislators who had endorsed his tax-reform plan, some of whom said they hadn't given their full blessing.

Mr. Sanford's free pass expired Thursday with the beginning of his second 12 months in office, political experts say. What he does in the coming year will largely shape the remainder of his tenure and his re-election chances, they say.

"I think this is the defining year," said Bill Moore, a political science professor at the College of Charleston.

To this point, Mr. Sanford has made staunch independence a hallmark of his political career. He was a loner in Congress, where he represented South Carolina's 1st District, including Charleston, from 1995 to 2001. He vowed to change government there and stepped down after serving one term to show he wasn't beholden to re-election concerns or special interests.

As governor, Mr. Sanford acknowledged a need to communicate more effectively with legislators but said he would remain steadfast in his beliefs.

"These folks who say, 'In three years I got to take this vote so that I can get re-elected.' ... That just isn't where I come from," he said. "It is a very different political approach, and it takes some getting used to.

"Re-election has never been my focus and never will be my focus."

Meanwhile, he has to get to know 124 representatives in the House and 46 senators.

"It's been a hard thing for him to grasp those numbers," said Rep. Don Smith, R-North Augusta, a Sanford supporter. "We seem to get a mixed message from him as it comes down the line sometimes."

Rep. Roland Smith, R-Langley, added: "If there's any obstacle, as I see it, it would be dialogue between the governor and the Legislature."

Mr. Sanford's most recent curveball came in December, when he proposed privatizing the state's public colleges. He announced it at a news conference.

"He needs to deal more directly with us," Mr. Smith said.

The governor said some of the old guard at the Capitol just have not gotten used to his style of governing.

WITH A MASTER'S degree in business administration from the University of Virginia and a stint on Wall Street, Mr. Sanford brings a different kind of world view to Columbia. He prefers a comfortable pair of khakis and a blue blazer, even when some of his own staffers wear suits.

He uses words such as "meritocracy" to describe his approach, "kicking around things and hopefully the best idea wins." As an example, he points to the budget hearings he held in the summer with state agencies in an effort to cut back on excess spending and overlapping services.

"My take on it is: We'll throw out some percentage of ideas and people will say, 'That's a dumb idea. I don't like that. We're not touching that.' A percentage of the ideas, they'll say, 'You know, that has some merit. Let's at least debate it.' And then some percentage, we'll say, 'That's an excellent idea, let's proceed,"' he said.

He says he's getting to know the players.

"Some folks, in getting a message, wanted a two-sentence e-mail," he said of his first year in office. "Other folks wanted a three-page brief. Still others wanted a personal phone call, and still others want a personal conversation."

HIS CRITICS SAY there has not been a cohesive message from Mr. Sanford's office.

"There's been some frustration in the Senate, because there was nobody who could speak with any certainty on certain issues," said Sen. Tommy Moore, D-Clearwater.

The governor's chief of staff and one-time Columbia insider, Fred Carter, who also served under former Gov. Carroll Campbell, left in November, well beyond the six-month commitment he gave the governor.

To this point, Mr. Sanford has had few opportunities to focus on his agenda. A slumping economy that saw more than 4,400 jobs lost in November alone and a state budget that could be more than $500 million underfunded have forced him to focus attention elsewhere.

Budget deficits have "proven to be much more significant than I had even imagined when I got up here," he said.

As a newcomer, the governor had little impact on last year's budget talks. This year, he's squarely in the middle with a plan that would lower the state income tax by 15 percent, a campaign promise he says will stimulate small-business growth and create jobs.

Legislative leaders, however, have balked at the part of the governor's plan that would slap a 5 percent tax on lottery sales and raise the cigarette tax to 68 cents a pack.

Mr. Sanford had not released his full executive budget last week. Critics say sooner is better than later.

"If the executive branch wants to be a part of the process, we need to have it available before we meet - and I don't mean the day before," Mr. Moore said, referring to the General Assembly's Jan. 13 reconvening.

THE BUMPY FIRST YEAR is behind Mr. Sanford, though. That alone appears to be providing the governor some momentum.

He has found backing for his proposal to restructure state government, in particular giving the governor's office power to appoint some constitutionally elected officers.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, also of Charleston, is backing legislation that would put the proposal in motion, while House members have pledged a change of attitude.

"Everyone is striving to pull together now," said House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville. "We're committed to try and find consensus."

That said, solid relations with the Legislature don't guarantee anything.

"Governors are judged as much on their handling of unexpected crises as anything else," said Bob McCalister, who served as Mr. Campbell's chief of staff his last three years in office.

"Between now and the next election cycle, the governor is going to be challenged by a crisis that none of us can anticipate."

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 279-6895 or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Monday, January 5, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle