Date Published: June 21, 2006   

Commerce leader resigns, Sanford staffer takes post

By JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press Writer

The state Commerce Department is getting a new chief of staff next month, marking the second major management change at the economic development agency this year.

Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor says C.H. Maguire, a Sanford aide who handles Cabinet affairs for the Republican governor, will replace Tim Dangerfield.

In a prepared statement, Dangerfield said he was leaving because he had promised only to work through Sanford's first term. Dangerfield still lives in Aiken and drives to Columbia every day, Taylor said.

"He was a very competent individual and he'll be missed," said Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark, who helps lead his county's economic development efforts.

Maguire's lack of economic development experience immediately raised questions.

"Sanford could have picked any of a number of experienced, qualified economic development leaders in our state, but instead he chose one of his buddies," state Democratic Party spokesman Patrick Norton said in a news release.

"He needs to put someone in that position who is a true professional in economic development," Senate Majority Leader John Land, a Manning Democrat, said.

Land has been one of Sanford' harshest critics as the state has spent more than six months near the top of the nation's unemployment charts.

Traditionally, the No. 2 officer at Commerce has been responsible for economic development and had a background in that work.

For instance, Dangerfield spent years involved with economic development projects before joining Commerce and was chairman of the Economic Development Partnership between Aiken and Edgefield counties.

"I think he ought to have some experience with economic development and be recruiting business," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Cooper, R-Piedmont, said. "Hopefully it will be a positive change."

"C.H. has spent 35 years in the private sector as well as serving in the governor's office as a director of the Cabinet. We think he's well qualified," Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said. But Sawyer he wouldn't say what qualifications Maguire had for taking what he described as an interim post.

Taylor said he is realigning jobs at the agency. Maguire, he said, would fill what would become a mostly administrative position on an interim basis.

"The role of chief of staff with Tim's departure will change to really more of a management and organizational function within the agency," Taylor said.

"C.H. has quite a bit of managerial experience given what he did at Merrill Lynch," Sanford said.

That is needed at an agency with responsibilities for overseeing airports, railways and other functions, Taylor said. Organizational and management skills are needed "when you're dealing with an agency as broad as this one. That's something you need to have, and I think C.H. brings that to the table," he said.

Maguire will be paid about $65,000 a year, Taylor said. That's a little more than half what Dangerfield was paid.

Taylor said he got to know Maguire in his Cabinet role at Sanford's office and asked the governor to allow him to move to Commerce.

"I said that's fine by me," Sanford said.

"He's helped us, but if you think he could do more good over there, then by all means," Sanford recalls telling Taylor.

Dangerfield is the second top agency official to leave this year.

Bob Faith, former head of the agency, also resigned and was replaced by Joe Taylor. Faith initially slashed the agency's staff by 25 percent and streamlined the bureaucracy into four divisions instead of 14. That's prompted criticism that Sanford's streamlining of the economic development agency went too far.

"Attracting new business and more jobs to our state is challenging enough without constant turnover at the agency responsible for doing that job," said Aiken Sen. Tommy Moore, Sanford's Democratic opponent in the November election for governor.