COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford's office
has lost eight aides and several Cabinet members since he was sworn
in nearly three years ago, but political observers are divided over
the turnover's impact.
The former chief of staff for Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell
said the changes cause temporary disorder but aren't uncommon.
"This isn't unusual for a governor to have turnover about this
time," said Bob McAlister, a Columbia-based communications
consultant. "Those top jobs are so pressure-packed and so hard they
will probably use you up in the first three or four years."
Last week, Sanford's communications director Chris Drummond
announced he was leaving later this month. The administration
director for the governor, Michael Cavanaugh, was fired after he was
arrested on a public drunkeness charge. And Sanford's former
spokesman, who announced in July he was leaving, pleaded guilty to
criminal domestic violence.
The events were unrelated, but the number of people who have left
surprised Gov. Jim Hodges' former chief of staff Kevin Geddings.
Hodges, a Democrat, lost re-election to Sanford in 2002.
"Heck, he's just now entering the second half of his term,"
Geddings said. "Not having a stable senior staff around the governor
... affects how the whole place works. It's just disruptive."
Sanford's congressional team and gubernatorial staff have
described him as a tough, demanding boss who requires unquestionable
loyalty.
"We continue to have a number of very talented folks working to
move the governor's agenda forward," spokesman Joel Sawyer said.
"You certainly know what's expected of you."
A handful of Sanford's congressional staff work in the governor's
office, including senior policy adviser Scott English and
legislative director Carl Blackstone, Sawyer said. And when the
governor hired some of his, he new it would be for the
short-term.
"Obviously when you do that you end up with folks who are making
sacrifices to do the job," he added.
In the two years and nine months of the Republican's term, at
least eight senior aides and about a third of Sanford's 13-member
Cabinet have left for various reasons.
The term for former Public Safety Director Boykin Rose, a
holdover from the previous administration, expired in February.
Former Insurance Commissioner Ernst Csiszar took a better-paying job
and outgoing Revenue Director Burnie Maybank signed on for just
three years.
James McClain, the former director of the Department of
Probation, Pardon and Parole, quit six months into his term after
questions about his resume arose.
