COLUMBIA--Last week was a tumultuous time for Gov. Mark Sanford's office.

In a period of two days, the Republican governor's senior aide was arrested for public drunkenness and fired, and the communications director said he was resigning. On top of that, his former press secretary pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal domestic violence.

All were separate, unrelated circumstances. But the incidents combine to disrupt the governor's message, if not his mission.

The top officials' departures are just the latest in an assortment of staff changes since Sanford became the state's chief executive in January 2003.

In the two years and nine months the governor has been in office, at least eight senior aides and about a third of Sanford's 13-member Cabinet have left the administration for various reasons.

The turnover isn't unique to Sanford; former Gov. Jim Hodges experienced staff changes as well.

But staff turnover has been problematic for the Republican governor throughout his political career. As a member of Congress, Sanford's staff turnover rate was the fifth highest at 59 percent, according to a Capitol Hill newspaper report.

His congressional team and gubernatorial staff described Sanford as a tough, demanding boss who doesn't offer many compliments and requires unquestionable loyalty -- attributes the governor hasn't refuted in the past.

The governor's office maintains the turnover hasn't interrupted Sanford's objectives.

"We continue to have a number of very talented folks working to move the governor's agenda forward," said spokesman Joel Sawyer.

Sawyer noted that a handful of congressional aides followed Sanford to the governor's office, including Senior Policy Adviser Scott English and Legislative Director Carl Blackstone.

When the governor hired many of the now-absent staff members, including Communications Director Chris Drummond and Senior Adviser Tom Davis, he knew they wouldn't be there for the entire term, Sawyer said.

Sanford wanted their talents, regardless of how long they could stay, Sawyer said. "Obviously when you do that you end up with folks who are making sacrifices to do the job," he added.

Sawyer said Sanford's management style didn't factor into the resignations either. "You certainly know what's expected of you" when hired, he said.

The changes at the Cabinet level occurred for a variety of reasons. Former Public Safety Director Boykin Rose, a holdover from the previous administration, saw his term expire in February; former Insurance Commissioner Ernst Csiszar took a better-paying job; and outgoing Revenue Director Burnie Maybank signed on for only three years.

James McClain, the former director of the Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole, quit six months into his term after questions arose about misleading items on his resume.

TURNOVER'S IMPACT DEBATED

Political observers disagreed about whether this much turnover is normal.

Bob McAlister, who was chief of staff for former 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 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."

McAlister speculates that the changes would affect Sanford less than other chief executives because he makes many dec-isions on his own and doesn't delegate much authority to his aides.

Kevin Geddings, the former chief of staff for Sanford's Democratic predecessor, said turnover wasn't an issue in Hodges' administration.

The number of people that have left Sanford's administration surprised him. "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."

Will Folks, Sanford's former press secretary who left in July to persue a job in the private sector and recently pleaded guilty to criminal domestic violence, acknowledged his former boss is "incredibly demanding, not particularly friendly."

But Folks added, "you can't complain when he is sitting right there next to you in the trenches."

SANFORD'S STAFF TURNOVER

Gov. Mark Sanford has lost a number of staff members since he took office in January 2003. At least eight senior aides and four Cabinet members left for various reasons. Here are some of those no longer with the administration:

STAFF MEMBERS

-- Communications Director Chris Drummond, a Mount Pleasant resident, announced his resignation Thursday, citing family reasons. Drummond told Sanford he'd work for three years when he was brought on board in 2002.

-- Michael Cavanaugh, director of administration, was fired Friday, a day after he was arrested for public drunkenness. Cavanaugh, who'd been with Sanford since November 2003, oversaw five program directors and the office personnel.

-- Press Secretary Will Folks announced his resignation in July, saying he wanted to return to a more private lifestyle. As the communications office's No. 2, Folks was in many ways the voice of the administration. He had been planning to leave after the legislative session ended in June.

-- Deputy Chief of Staff Chad Walldorf, co-founder of Charleston-based Sticky Fingers, resigned in January to concentrate on his business. Walldorf played a key role in developing one of the first spending plans for the governor.

-- Tom Davis, co-chief of staff and senior policy adviser, left in July 2004 because he wanted to spend more time with his wife, who was pregnant at the time. For a year, he worked to mend Sanford's sometimes contentious relationship with the Legislature.

CABINET MEMBERS

-- Department of Revenue Director Burnie Maybank, a Charleston lawyer, is stepping down in January or whenever the governor appoints a successor. Maybank told Sanford he'd stay for three years when he was hired. He plans to return to his tax law practice.

-- State Insurance Commissioner Ernst Csiszar resigned in August 2004 to take a job with an industry trade group. In 1999, then-Gov. Jim Hodges appointed Csiszar, and he was one of the few Cabinet members who remained in office when Sanford took over.

-- Department of Public Safety Director Boykin Rose's term expired in February 2004. Unlike other Cabinet positions, the director serves an appointed term and doesn't necessarily change with each governor. When Rose's term ended, Sanford chose to replace him with Jim Schweitzer, a former FBI special agent.

-- James McClain, director of the Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole, quit in September 2003, six months into his term, after questions arose about misleading items on his resume.

---

John Frank covers state politics and the Legislature from Columbia. Contact him at (803) 799-9051 or jbfrank@postandcourier.com.