Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2009

Sanford issues schedule -- no public events

Staffers say he’s trying to be more open; lack of public events draws fire

Gov. Mark Sanford’s first weekly schedule — issued as part of his office’s reaction to his five-day disappearance to Argentina and admission of an extramarital affair — includes no public events.

Sanford will be splitting his time between Columbia and his family home on Sullivan’s Island, according to the schedule.

Sanford, a Republican, issued his first weekly schedule Tuesday after 6½ years in office.

The decision to issue a schedule could help demonstrate the embattled governor is back to work, said Gary Karr, spokesman for former Republican Gov. David Beasley.

However, Sanford’s first schedule had the opposite effect on some critics.

Senate Minority Leader John Land, D-Clarendon, noted the absence of events after the governor spent the long July Fourth holiday weekend in Florida.

“I think it’s very telling of his involvement,” said Land, who has said Sanford should resign.

Sanford has said he will not resign but will work to regain the trust of South Carolinians.

Spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor’s office decided on a weekly schedule after consulting with the National Governors Association about schedules issued in other states.

Officials in neighboring states, including Georgia and North Carolina, said publishing a schedule does not compromise their governors’ security.

Sanford’s new schedule also matches those issued by past S.C. governors, former staffers said.

“Under the circumstances, the governor clearly understands the need to be more transparent about his schedule then what he has done in the past or then what is required by law,” Sawyer said in a written statement. “You can expect that he will do so.”

Staffers for past S.C. governors said providing a schedule is essential, particularly since the media and Internet have conditioned the public to expect such detail.

Karr said he would counsel Sanford’s staff to put out as much information as possible about the governor’s schedule, adding some reporters post Democratic President Barack Obama’s schedule on social networking site Twitter.

“The Internet has changed everything,” he said. “There’s much more of an expectation of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Beasley’s schedule included public appearances but not private meetings or those with the Cabinet, said Karr.

Former Gov. Jim Hodges, a Democrat, also issued a schedule of public events.

“Scheduling is the most difficult part of a governor’s office,” Hodges said, noting events were often chosen three months in advance. “We were pretty clear.”

Sanford had refused to publish a schedule through his first 6½ years in office but agreed to do so after staffers was unable to say where he was for five days.

He regularly holds an hour-long open door session for the public. But, typically, his public events were announced anywhere from a few hours ahead of time up to a business day in advance.

Monday, for instance, Sanford’s office said the governor would attend a Homeland Security briefing later that day in Charleston. However, he would not take part in a media availability afterward, his office said.

That allowed Sanford to avoid more questions from the media about his disappearance, affair and decision not to resign.

Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.

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