COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford's top deputy said Thursday he has taken an unpaid leave of absence until at least next year to be with his family in Beaufort.

Tom Davis, co-chief of staff and senior policy advisory, said his wife, Reid, is expecting their third child early next year and he did not want to be tied to the Legislature.

Davis worked as a liaison between the governor's office and the General Assembly until the session ended last month, when he returned to his other job as a lawyer in Beaufort.

The governor does not plan to replace Davis, shifting more responsibility to the other co-chief of staff, Henry White, who lives in Columbia, said Sanford's spokesman Will Folks.

Sanford tapped Davis and White to be his top assistants last fall after Fred Carter left the position to return to his job as president of Francis Marion University.

Davis said he would continue to lend his expertise to the governor's office, but would not collect a pay check.

"No, I'm not getting paid," Davis told The Associated Press. "I've known Mark since college and I want to help him in any way that I can."

A governor's chief of staff has a tough job: running the staff, keeping the governor abreast of developments and trying to put policies into practice.

It was especially difficult this year, however, after Republican Sanford, who has never had a smooth relationship with the GOP-dominated Legislature, outraged lawmakers by threatening to sue to end the practice of loading bills with unrelated amendments.

Sanford also raised the ire of House members when he presented them two squealing piglets under his arms to protest pork in the state budget.

Davis said he liked the challenge of explaining the governor's position on many issues.

"I really enjoyed interacting with the legislators, I really enjoyed the role of explaining where Mark is coming from and I enjoyed the give and take," Davis said.

Davis had worked in Sanford's campaign in 2002 and joined the governor's staff in August as a senior policy adviser. In November, he took over the chief-of-staff role along with White, who was Sanford's chief legal counsel.

Carter, a former Budget and Control Board director and former chief of staff for then-Gov. Carroll Campbell, had always intended to return to his job as university president.

Sanford has said the job's demands and salary have been issues for some people courted for the position.

House Speaker David Wilkins said Davis was highly regarded by legislators and hopes that he returns.

"Obviously, continuity is important," Wilkins said. "I think it would be helpful if Tom was able to be back and continue to work with us because everybody's familiar with him, they trust him and they work well with him.

"It takes awhile in working with somebody to build that trust and build that confidence."