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| Monday, Jan 27, 2003 |
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Posted on January 23, 2003 Sanford: Restructuring government will improve the state of our state
tony.taylor@shj.com COLUMBIA -- Gov. Mark Sanford said Wednesday that the only way the state can improve its dire financial situation is through vigorous government reform. Appearing in the state House Chamber exactly one week after he was inaugurated as South Carolina's 115th governor, Sanford used his first State of the State address to lobby the Legislature to make government restructuring its top priority during the upcoming legislative session. In a sure-footed address, Sanford offered a stark assessment of the state's state, saying the budget shortfall would prevent lawmakers from focusing on improving quality of life in South Carolina. "The dragon in this building tonight is the budget," Sanford said. "The fact is: little can be done about so many of the different issues that we campaigned on." The state's budget may fall almost $1 billion short of meeting more than $5 billion in state spending needs. Sanford told legislators government could be streamlined by eliminating non-essential personnel, consolidating overlap between state agencies, and forgoing the process of economic forecasting. Sanford cited, as examples, his decision to eliminate the director of the Governor's Mansion, an $80,000-a-year position. He encouraged other agencies to follow his lead. "If every agency and department finds just one function they can do without, we can go a long way toward closing the budget divide before us," Sanford said. Sanford urged lawmakers to use the shortfall as an opportunity to overhaul state government. He also asked the Legislature to introduce a balanced-budget amendment and place a cap on government growth. Sanford proposed creating a commission made up of business leaders to find waste and duplication in government. During the 50-minute speech, Sanford challenged the Legislature to send him a campaign finance reform bill. A task force created by Sanford released a report Tuesday calling for political candidates to report all cash donations in excess of $500. The report proposed creating an electronic filing system where the public can view political donations. "Lets sign the campaign finance reform bill that has been gathering dust in Columbia," Sanford said. "My predecessor vetoed it." Sanford devoted only a fraction of his speech to education, calling for the establishment of charter schools and simplifying the way money is spent as an alternative to increasing the amount of money spent on education. "I will work with our Superintendent of Education to make sure that the money we are spending is indeed going to high priority areas," Sanford said. "Teacher quality and early childhood education are two on my list." Though the governor called for sure-fire political initiatives like increasing the number of police officers, he also used the speech to push beyond his short-term predicament. He urged a long-term solution to funding the states rapidly growing Medicaid program through reform instead of a cigarette tax. "Polls suggest that a tobacco tax is palatable, if not popular," Sanford said. "Unfortunately, polls do not change my mind, nor do they release me from my pledge." Tony Taylor can be reached at 582-4511, Ext. 7219, or tony.taylor@shj.com
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