Flights, disappearance land Mark Sanford on worst Governor list

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has formulated a list of the nations worst governors. And surprise: Gov. Mark Sanford made that list along with 10 others.

Named were Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Gov. Donald Carcieri (R-RI), Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Gov. David Paterson (D-NY), Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-GA), Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), Gov. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA.)

Crew describes itself as a non-partison non-profit dedicated to exposing public officials that "sacrifice the common good to special interests."

Cited as reasons for Sanford's appearance on the list: 

  • Abused his office for his personal benefit and the benefit of his friends
  • Violated campaign finance laws by failing to report in-kind contributions and improperly converting campaign funds for personal use
  • Subordinated his responsibilities to his pursuit of an extramarital affair
  • Endangered his state’s economy by threatening to refuse stimulus funds

The group also pointed out these stats:

  • Number of days Gov. Sanford claimed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail: 5
  • Number of days Gov. Sanford actually spent hiking the Appalachian Trail: 0
  • Number of times Gov. Sanford used South Carolina’s state planes for personal purposes, including attending a birthday party for a top supporter, a theme park opening and a haircut appointment: 9
  • Number oftimes Gov. Sanford has flown business or first class at taxpayer’s expense: 18
  • Minimum number of times Gov. Sanford flew on private jets between January 2004 and December 2008: 78
  • Number of those flights Gov. Sanford disclosed as in-kind gifts: 17

Read the group's full set of worst gov's and analysis over here (Sanford starts at page 30.)

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