Sanford resumes constituent meetings

COLUMBIA — On a trip back to their home state from Maine, Samuel and Kim Harper were touring the Statehouse with their six children Tuesday when they heard that Gov. Mark Sanford would take five minutes to talk with them.

Samuel Harper said he grew up in Columbia and has been watching Sanford from afar.

"I just want to meet him and tell him that we're praying for him," he said.

The governor began the meeting by apologizing to the Harpers, but they told him that wasn't why they came, and they spent the rest of the meeting talking about family.

This was Sanford's first meeting with the public since his June 24 confession that he had an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman. The "Open Door After 4" meetings are a monthly feature.

"I think it's great that he had his door open," Samuel Harper said. The couple's eldest sons, Sam, 12, and Caleb, 10, have spent time at Maine's state capitol as pages, and they said they thought it was pretty cool that they had the chance to meet a governor.

The governor faced a mostly friendly crowd Tuesday.

Sanford's first appointment was with the Cairns family of Woodruff. Simon and Peggy Cairns wanted Sanford to meet their 8-year-old daughter Lily, who won a governor's award in school for her outstanding character.

Simon Cairns said he didn't bring up the scandal, and neither did Sanford.

Sanford also met with James Walden, a new pastor in Columbia. Walden said he wanted to talk to Sanford about how the governor believes the church can best serve the state.

The two had a lot to discuss. Sanford has been leaning on his faith to survive the scandal and quotes Bible verses often, saying he wanted to follow the example set by David, who refocused on work after a fall from grace.

Walden said he can take Sanford's response to his church — that there is a need for the gospel of grace and forgiveness.

"He spoke of his own brokenness and his need for grace and mercy, and the need for grace in the community," Walden said. He said Sanford seemed to be "humbled" and "more in love with the gospel of grace."

Walden said he was scheduled to meet with Sanford on the day the governor publicly admitted his affair, a few hours after he arrived back from a trip to Argentina..

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In all, 18 people were scheduled to meet with Sanford Tuesday. Usually, about 15 meetings are scheduled.

Sanford's outgoing communications director, Joel Sawyer, said a few more people than average called Tuesday to make an appointment. Eleven more called and couldn't get appointments, Sawyer said.

Sanford has offered the "Open Door After 4" since he took office.

"He believes it's important to make himself available to his constituents for whatever is on their minds," Sawyer said.

Topics for five-minute meetings vary, and oftentimes people make the appointment just so they can get a picture with the governor or need help with an issue related to state government, Sawyer said. Several of the meetings Tuesday went longer than five minutes.

Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.