OPINION: Sanford has more explaining to do with aircraft use

Gov. Mark Sanford not only cheats on his wife, he also cheats on the state’s taxpayers.
An Associated Press investigation into Sanford’s use of state aircraft found the governor used them for personal and political trips.
The uses were clearly in violation of state budget law, which says “any and all aircraft owned or operated by agencies of the State Government shall be used only for official business.”
Since taking office in 2003, the governor has taken trips for his children’s sporting events, hair and dental appointments, political party gatherings and a birthday party for a campaign donor.
Sanford likely is not the only governor to have used state planes for questionable reasons. But since the governor’s affair with an Argentine woman broke in July, his character and ethics have been in question.
The governor, who once voted to impeach former President Bill Clinton for lacking moral authority, was lacking himself. The politician who billed himself as frugal, once sleeping in his own Congressional office, has been extravagant at the taxpayers’ expense.
It’s hard to tell who this guy is any more.
Sanford has flown 353 hours aboard the state’s largest plane and another 73 hours on smaller, propeller planes at a cost of nearly $373,000, according to the AP analysis.
The outage factor includes a long list of questionable flights.
From the AP report:
n On March 10, 2006, a state plane was sent to pick up Sanford in Myrtle Beach and return him to Columbia, the state capital, at a cost of $1,265 — when his calendar showed his only appointment in Columbia was “personal time” at his favorite discount hair salon. He had flown to Myrtle Beach on a private plane and attended a county GOP event.
The trip home on the state aircraft took off at 1:50 p.m. and arrived in Columbia at 2:35, enabling the governor to keep his plans for a 3 p.m. haircut across town. There were no other appointments on his official schedule that afternoon; the trip back to Columbia would have taken about three hours by car.
n On five of the last six Thanksgiving weekends, Sanford used a state plane to fly himself, his wife and their four sons from the family’s plantation in Beaufort County to Columbia for the state Christmas tree lighting. The cost for those flights alone: $5,536, including $2,869 for flying the plane empty to pick them up.
n On March 23, 2005, Sanford flew on a state plane from Columbia to Mount Pleasant, near the beach house, where the governor was scheduled for a 5 p.m. appointment with a dentist. Later that day, he had a TV interview before speaking at a Republican Party event for Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties along with U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint.
n On April 29, 2006, a state plane flew Sanford from Greenville, not far from where one of his sons was in a soccer tournament, to Charleston, so the governor could attend a National Republican Senatorial Committee meeting on Kiawah Island.
What’s likely to happen in wake of the AP report? We hope the S.C. Ethics Commission looks more into the case and recommends a course of action.
Sanford could face civil and criminal penalties if he’s found to have violated the law. Only incidental use that does not result in additional public expense is exempt from the guidelines for using state aircraft.
At a minimum, Sanford should reimburse the state for his personal excursions. Not all of his flights were of a personal nature.
But clearly, the governor has violated the spirit of the law. We would like to see him clarify his position on state travel and affirm his intention to use state property for state purposes.
If Sanford’s going to remain as governor, he has much explaining to do. While he’s apologizing for having an affair, he might as well apologize to the hard-working taxpayers of the state, too.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).