Gov. Mark Sanford is helping his friend and former opponent Charlie Condon retire hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign debt.

Sanford has sent a letter to Republican donors thanking them for their support and asking them to give money to help Condon, the former attorney general who lost to Sanford in the Republican gubernatorial primary last summer.

The letter includes the state seal, and the letterhead reads, "Governor Mark Sanford." At the bottom, in much smaller print, are the words, "Not printed or mailed at taxpayer expense."

Condon is "heading toward" a run for the U.S. Senate in 2004, he said Friday. Condon, who went on to support Sanford in his runoff victory over Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler, said the letter is helping.

"The governor wanted to help a friend who helped him during the campaign," Sanford spokesman Chris Drummond said.

Condon was thankful.

"I really appreciate the governor doing that," Condon said. "I know he probably gets lots of requests."

The letter raised the ire of S.C. Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian, who said Sanford has decried the role of money in politics, but is using his office to raise money for Condon.

"What it shows is this facade of somehow being different, a new politician," Harpootlian said. Sanford "is the same old stuff. This is just the latest example of how he's just another political hack. Not that I have anything against political hacks."

Using the state seal for political purposes does not violate state ethics law, according to the State Ethics Commission.

CABINET STILL CLOSED

Sanford has continued to draw fire from media groups for his refusal to open his Cabinet meetings to the public. Last week, the Society of Professional Journalists criticized his stance.

This week, Sanford will meet with a group of top editors from newspapers and television to discuss the situation.

On Wednesday, Sanford will meet with Bill Rogers, director of the S.C. Press Association; Ken Elmore, news director of WSPA-TV and chairman of the S.C. Broadcaster's Association; John Pittman, executive editor of The Greenville News; Mark Lett, executive editor of The State; Barbara Williams, editor of The Post & Courier in Charleston; Holly Fisher, Freedom of Information Act chairwoman for the Society of Professional Journalists; and John Shurr, South Carolina bureau chief for The Associated Press.

NAMING NAMES

Sanford continues to fill out state boards and commissions.

Sanford tapped Tee Hooper of Greenville as chairman of the Transportation Commission and Don Leonard of Myrtle Beach as chairman of the Infrastructure Bank board.

The commission is responsible for setting policies and priorities for state and federal road projects. Nearly all of the state Department of Transportation's $800 million annual budget comes from federal funds.

The Infrastructure Bank issues bonds to cover large transportation-related projects, typically of more than $100 million. Hooper also will serve as an ex-officio member of the bank board.

Hooper is president and chief executive of Profitlab Inc., a company that helps businesses cut telephone bills. He retired from IKON Office Solutions in 2001, where he had been president of the company's Southeast district since 1995. Hooper also served on a task force Sanford set up to study the state's economic development.

Leonard is president of Leonard, Call & Associates, a large real estate firm in Myrtle Beach that helped develop the master plan for Kingston Plantation. Leonard was one of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's "Team 100-Plus," a group of state business and industry leaders who helped fund-raising efforts for the Republican's 2002 Senate campaign.