S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford was far from the media blitz and public scrutiny that followed him this summer when he spoke Thursday to a group of 40 people assembled for an Aiken Kiwanis Club meeting.

Mr. Sanford, whose second term has been clouded with controversy since revealing an extramarital affair, said he has remembered the importance of communicating to small groups as he outlined Thursday his legislative priorities for the upcoming state session.

“You in some ways go back to where you started,” said Mr. Sanford after his speech, referring to how he spoke more to individuals at the beginning of his political career. “Given all that went on this summer, I’ve been reawakened to the power of personal, one-on-one conversations.”

The governor started his speech by again apologizing for the scandal. But he said the experience has allowed him to speak his mind without people questioning his rhetoric as only targeted to reach higher office.

“If there is anything that is completely believable now after the events of this summer, it’s that I am not running for president,” he told the audience.

Mr. Sanford said he wanted to propose attainable goals for what will be his last legislative session as the state’s chief executive.

The measures he proposed included reforming the state Employment Security Commission, placing the governor and lieutenant governor on the same ticket in elections and imposing government spending limits.

“I have a very finite time left in politics,” he said. “In terms of this legislative session, it’s until June. We are looking at what can we do as specific, measurable achievements that can make a difference in people’s lives going forward.”

He urged the audience, regardless of political persuasion, to make it a point to talk to at least one person a day to help effect the changes they want.

“I believe we can take the political energy in the room and do something good with it,” Mr. Sanford told the crowd.

The governor, who spoke out against federal stimulus spending this year, said he is not yet optimistic about an economic turnaround.

“I’m still guarded about what comes next,” he said after the meeting. “I don’t think we’re out of it yet. I think this might be a false bounce.”

He added Tuesday’s Republican takeovers of the New Jersey and Virginia governorships might portend well for his party in 2010.

“I think it was something of a bellwether,” he said. “I think there is a remarkable middle in the world of American politics.”