CHARLESTON - Almost six months after S.C. Insurance Commissioner Ernie Csiszar resigned to take a position with an industry trade group, his job, a Cabinet-level post, has yet to be filled.

But Gov. Mark Sanford is simply being prudent in selecting a new leader for the Insurance Department, said Will Folks, Sanford's spokesman.

Dean Kruger, the department's chief actuary, said such top-level openings are not unusual in government.

"There is a lot of responsibility with this position, which is why I'm sure the governor is taking his time," Kruger said.

The department oversees almost 2,000 insurance companies doing business in the state that paid $140 million in state taxes last year.