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Jessica Nelms

Gov. Mark Sanford is greeted by Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce President Chris Hardy, center, and Clemson Rotarian Will Gregory, right, during his appearance at the Clemson Rotary Club's meeting held Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 at the Ramada Inn.

CLEMSON — Gov. Mark Sanford admits that his relationship with the General Assembly could have been better and said he hasn’t given any thought to his future once he leaves office in January 2011.

Speaking to a group of reporters following his appearance before the Clemson Rotary Club Monday, Sanford, who has been at odds with a number of legislators — especially his fellow Republicans — said he has thought about the often rancor-filled relationship that exists.

“Does anyone have regrets on how they would handle different moments in any given relationship and could some of that actually have been addressed? Sanford inquired. “Sure.”

But Sanford attributed much of the conflict, which has included the budget and the acceptance of stimulus funds among other issues, to a matter of wills.

“I pushed really hard and, at times, I got an equal amount of push back,” Sanford said.

While some legislators still support impeachment, even though such proceedings have been delayed until at least January, Sanford has spent the past several months speaking before various groups and apologizing for the extra-marital affair he admitted to in June.

The governor said the experience, which included his wife, Jenny, and their four sons leaving the Governor’s Mansion for Sullivan’s Island, is one that has changed his perspective on a lot of things.

“If you went through the last four months like I did, you learn to let go of a lot of things,” he said.

The governor said he has yet to think about his future beyond the governorship.

“I will try to make the most of each day,” Sanford said. “I will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. But today, I’m going to do what I can to give folks a couple of thoughts that they, in turn, can act on.”

Sanford said his philosophy has worked, adding that he has been warmly welcomed at Rotary Club meetings and other public forums throughout the state. At those meetings, such as the one held Monday, Sanford encouraged audience members to let their voices be heard regarding “specific, measurable and achievable goals” regarding government restructuring, financial sanity and jobs and the economy

“There’s an amazing capacity for forgiveness and grace,” he said. “While politics is a different world, I think the interesting part is that people want to hear about things that will improve their lives. There’s always an issue that is more immediate to someone’s life and their prospects or their children’s prospects for having a good life.”

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