Governor Mark Sanford is back in the Palmetto state and looking at what lies ahead.

Two weeks in Europe with his family on a planned vacation, and Sanford is now back to work at his office in Columbia. The governor returned Wednesday evening after trying to mend his relationships from his admittance to an extramarital affair. WCSC in Charleston heard from Sanford after he landed in Charlotte, when he spoke of how he will handle the next few days.

“Working on the job at hand, regarding the people of the state, and many things we’ve got to get done from the standpoint of restructuring economic development, and go down the list, and the job at hand at home is the obvious,” says Sanford.

Wednesday was also Sanford’s Communications Director Joel Sawyer’s last day on the job. Sawyer is starting his own consulting firm, while Ben Fox takes over the communications position. Fox sent a release that stated the governor has no planned public arrangements or events scheduled this week.

Sanford does plan on getting updates on how the state is monitoring federal stimulus cash spending, and he will also hear about issues involving development around the state’s military bases.

Governor Mark Sanford, his wife and two of their sons have flown to London on a two-week European vacation. The Governor says the vacation is another step to repair his family following his admission to an affair.A state Senate hearing takes place in Columbia this afternoon to examine Sanford’s trips, on the question of any improper spending of tax money that might be indicated. Other than that, the ruckus around the governor’s personal life has quieted down.

But what is in store in the Sanfords’ future? In similar situations, do the couples stay together?

Dr. Roger Rhoades is a relationship therapist with the PACE Center in Spartanburg, and has appeared regularly on numerous national talk shows.

First of all, Rhoades says what happened to Governor Sanford is really not that unusual, that he sees it all the time, when a man, or woman, is struck hormonally or emotionally, often both, when they’re at a particular point in their individual lives.  “They don’t think well.  None of them makes standard judgements.  They’re very self-destructive.  And he’s been doing it on a national level with the media.  But everyday, you go to church and you see someone, even a deacon, do something very similar, and everyone says, ‘Man, I can’t this happened to this guy.’ ” [Read more...]