Sanford tried to steer port business

Gov. Mark Sanford tried to persuade the then-chairman of the state's Ports Authority to sell a piece of coastal property to a Sanford donor instead of another developer who'd submitted a higher bid, according to former S.C. Ports Authority Chairman Bill Stern.

Stern, who was testifying before a Senate committee today as a nominee for another term on the Ports board, told lawmakers Sanford asked him to reconsider Hilton Head developer Jim Chaffin's bid for port property in Beaufort County appraised at $27 million.

Another developer bid $26 million for the property. Chaffin is a Sanford donor according to a report by the Associated Press. His bid was reportedly much lower.

Comments

[Commonman]

How can one question the Governor's actions here. We all know he is a firm believer in the fair market system and would never attempt to play politics with a decision such as this. The Governor will feign righteous indignation that anyone would insinuate there was an impure motive behind his request for reconsideration by the Ports Authority. Now, what I can't wait to see is whether he puts all of the blame on the General Assembly, does not recall the conversation as described by Chairman Stern, or points his finger at "political enemies" standing in the way of his vision for a greater South Carolina molded to his political philosophy.

[wtf]

Well at least Sanford isn't demanding the Assemby pass retro-active immunity for anything he might or might not have done.

Dear lord, what have we sunk to?

[Yoyo]

Ask Mark Sanford how much money he has already been given by people connected with the ports deal.

Ask Mark Sanford how much money he controls in these nonprofits corporations. Ask him who gave him those millions and why.

We have a system that allows the governor to take unlimited contributions from rich people with special interest AND not disclose who gave him money and how much they gave him. As long as this system is in place, Mark Sanford will answer to his secret masters, and not us.

[martin]

i hope the other guy sues him for slander/defamation.