COLUMBIA - As South Carolina's chief tax collector, Burnet R. Maybank III held one of the most despised jobs in state government.

But Maybank - known as "Burnie" among friends - left office Tuesday as one of the most well-liked officials in Columbia.

"The fact someone can be liked as a tax collector is amazing," Gov. Mark Sanford said at last month's Cabinet meeting.

Sanford tapped Maybank, a fellow Charlestonian, as the Department of Revenue director in January 2003.

It was Maybank's second term at the helm of the department after serving as the inaugural director in 1995 under Gov. David Beasley.

The 50-year-old father of five announced in August he was trading in his $125,000-a-year job to return to his private tax law practice. Maybank said he loves the job, but college tuition doesn't pay for itself.

"Public service has been very rewarding," he said. "The private sector is more lucrative, but equally less rewarding."

Ray Stevens, an administrative law judge and former director of the S.C. attorney general's tax division, takes the reins today. "Burnie's a tough act to follow," Stevens said.

On Maybank's last day, the lanky director was the definition of relaxed, a man confident with his accomplishments and relishing his final hours. He wore auburn corduroys, a button-down shirt with no tie and sported the early stages of a blond beard.

His thick-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses - which scream tax-nerd - hung around his neck as he precisely described his efforts to bring in the state's "dough." He rarely uses the word "money" or "cash"; it's always "the dough."

Maybank's tenure is noteworthy for his ability to turn around a downtrodden department. When he took office the second time, the state had experienced two consecutive years of historically low tax revenues. Some state agencies were hemorrhaging from budget cuts.

In 2004, Maybank guaranteed lawmakers that if they gave him $10 million to hire 110 new auditors and collectors, he would bring in $90 million in tax money.

He actually brought in about $105 million in additional revenues, but lawmakers didn't complain.

The famed "Maybank money" was part of a larger effort to level the playing field. To generate the cash, the department aggressively pursued tax shelters and other abuses, Maybank said.

"The Department of Revenue as an agency is so well run, they don't need me to micromanage the agency," he said. "That gave me the luxury of emphasizing stuff I liked working on."

Don't expect Maybank to be gone from politics for long. After all, he's living in the political shadow of his family's illustrious name.

His grandfather, Burnet R. Maybank, was mayor of Charleston during the Depression before becoming governor and U.S. senator. His father, Burnet Jr., was a state lawmaker and served as lieutenant governor before losing a gubernatorial bid.

Maybank III has seriously considered a run for the Legislature and even Congress, but said the time and financial burdens were too great.

"The U.S. Congress is what needs a serious fix," Maybank said.

"They are spending money like drunken sailors that won the lottery."

Contact John Frank at (803) 799-9051 or jbfrank@postandcourier.com.