Upstate legislators say Sanford should resign

ANDERSON — Legislators in the Upstate say it is time for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to step down, but Sanford says he won’t leave his post.

“The governor has no plans to step aside, temporarily or otherwise,” according to a statement issued Thursday from his office. “He remains committed and determined to repair the damage he has done in his marriage and to building back the trust of the people of South Carolina.”

Sanford said he would be spending the holiday weekend with his family and asked for privacy while they are together.

But some area legislators think this is only the first step in repairing the damage Sanford has done to his family and the state.

“I’ve considered everything that’s come out in the last week or so. I think he’s lost the trust of the folks of South Carolina and it would be best if he stepped aside,” said Rep. Brian White a Republican from Anderson. “He needs to reconcile with his boys as well as his wife. Being a parent, for someone to abandon his children on Father’s Day… that would be more important to me than his position as governor.”

For a state strong on family values, White said, Sanford had proven he had little regard for the values his constituents held.

White said Sanford had essentially abandoned his position as governor.

“I think it all boils down to he left the state unattended for five days and lied about where he was,” White said. “That’s first and foremost what started it all… if you lie about where you’re going to be and you have a sworn duty to do a job and you leave it, that’s just a disregard for your position.”

White said Sanford’s sons should come first in his decision.

“If you can’t run a household, you can’t run a state, in my opinion,” White said. “If I were in his position, I’d resign and let the lieutenant governor (Andre Bauer) run the state for 18 months. He might not be governor for 18 months, but he’s going to be a father forever and that takes precedence.”

Rep. Don Bowen of Anderson, a Republican, also said Sanford should step down.

“The best thing that could happen for his wife, his children and the state would be for him to resign,” Bowen said. “He needs to weigh what really counts in life and put his wife and family first. I hope he makes the right decision.”

Bowen said he had received a phone call from Sanford on Wednesday.

“He said he was taking this one day at a time. I told him I was taking a half-day at a time,” Bowen said. “We talked for about 20 minutes and I told him … about 50 constituents who had called and talked to me about the issue had asked for his resignation. “

“He said, it was in the hands of the Lord now. He said he was going to it seemed like every time he opened his mouth he dug a deeper hole for himself. I wouldn’t disagree.”

Rep. Mike Gambrell, a Republican from Honea Path, said Sanford needed to concern himself with his family, but his resignation would be the best thing for the state.

“At this point, I’d have to say he has to go,” he said. “I appreciate the fact that he’s … (apologized) but my main concern is that it reflects badly on our state and it cheapens what we’re down there trying to do (as legislators in Columbia).”

Gambrell said Sanford has a personal responsibility to correct the situation.

“I think everyone just wants him to quit talking … every time he starts talking it just gets worse. We’re not interested in his personal affairs … we just want to see the work of the state continue,” he said. “I was raised to believe that our political leaders were held to a higher standard and I think they should be … in essence, you’ve got 171 people whose actions affect 4.5 million people in this state. People have got to have that faith in you, not only in state government but in the way you run your personal life. He has a responsibility to rebuild that trust.”

State senators also said Sanford should resign.

“I was thinking about his resignation all last week,” said Sen. Kevin Bryant of Anderson, a Republican. “I do think he needs to resign. He damaged the public trust when he was unfaithful to his family. Some will separate the boardroom from the bedroom, I do not. I feel like if you’re dishonest in one area, you’ll be dishonest in the other.”

Bryant said he felt Sanford’s resignation would be the best thing for the state.

But as one of Sanford dozen supporters, he felt personally betrayed, he said.

“I was one of the chief water-toters for the governor’s agenda … now, this doesn’t change this movement for reform, but we’ve been betrayed,” Bryant said. “He was our quarterback for reform. And our quarterback intentionally threw a pass to the other team … and for the sake of our effort, we’re going to need another quarterback.”

Bryant said Sanford had called him to apologize.

“I told him that I am 100 percent for forgiveness and reconciliation. I told him I will pray for him and his family,” Bryant said. “If he can reconcile with his family, then he can reconcile with me.”

Sen. Billy O’Dell of Abbeville, was one of the Senate Republicans who signed a petition last week asking Sanford to resign.

“I think it’s in the best interest of the state for us to move on and to focus on creating jobs,” O’Dell said. “To be honest, I felt very sorry for him … and for his family. This is a tough situation for them. But the state is more important that any one person.”

He said the governor’s actions reflected badly on the state and hurt efforts to recruit for jobs.

“It makes us look like a soap opera,” he said. “We can’t recruit in this state with this swirling around us. I think the best thing that can happen in this state is to get this issue resolved and get back to the work of creating jobs.”

Sen. Larry Martin, an Oconee County Republican who also signed the letter calling for the governor’s resignation, said Sanford’s lack of respect for his office was the key issue for him.

“I just felt like he’s lost all ability to continue in office,” Martin said. “The issue is that he walked out of the governor’s office and didn’t bother to tell anyone where he was going and where he could be reached. That’s the most egregious conduct in this whole ordeal.”

Martin said being in contact was part of public service.

“I’ve always had a high degree of responsibility for my constituents getting in touch with me because I’m it, I’m all they’ve got,” he said. “When we took these positions, we understood we are in office 24/7… we can’t ever walk away from it. But his responsibilities go much further. As governor, you can’t under any circumstances leave your state, leave your post …. without anyone knowing how to get a hold of you.”

Martin said it was too early to talk about impeachment, but it was a discussion that might need to be had.

Sanford called him on Friday, June 26, Martin said.

“He started out by saying ‘I’m sorry, I apologize for what I’ve done.’” Martin said. “I told him you don’t have to apologize to me; you need to apologize to your wife.”

South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford issued a statement on Thursday that she and her sons were coping as best as they could.

“There is no question that Mark's behavior is inexcusable. Actions have consequences and he will be dealing with those consequences for a long while. Trust has been broken and will need to be rebuilt. Mark will need to earn back that trust, first and foremost with his family, and also with the people of South Carolina,” she said.

But she also left open the door of forgiveness, and said Sanford “has stated that his intent and determination is to save … (their) marriage, and to make amends to the people of South Carolina.

“I hope he can make good on those intentions…,”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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