Tennant pushes technology for Secretary of State's office

by: Carnacki

Tue Jan 27, 2009 at 09:33:07 AM EST

Tennant, a Democrat and former co-host of "Good Morning West Virginia" on WCHS-TV, moved into a bare-walled office at the Capitol office Tuesday.

She admits she'll leave the decorating to her executive assistant.

Yet Tennant is already on a roll, tackling a handful of issues related to her office.

Tennant is responsible for overseeing elections, chartering businesses and keeping public records.

This week her office is sending out more than 30,000 letters requesting that limited liability companies renew their annual reports and file changes online at www.business4wv.com. For three years, companies have had the opportunity to conduct such matters online, but Tennant said she's making an aggressive effort to get more people involved through the Web.

"One priority is e-government and technology," Tennant said. "It wasn't just a campaign promise. It's time to do more things online. It's so much easier."

Tennant also talks briefly about the Mark Blankenship poll that showed her ahead of her predecessor, Republican Betty Ireland, if the two clash in the gubernatorial race:

A Mark Blankenship Enterprises poll showed Tennant defeating Ireland 43 percent to 28 percent.

"That's just the political world," said Tennant, laughing off the insinuation she might run for governor in three years. "I'm certainly flattered by those numbers. Ultimately, my focus right now is the secretary of state's office.

"If the people of West Virginia think I've done a good job by then, it's up to them if they see fit I run for something else. It really does make good political fodder. If I were a reporter, I'd be talking about it all the time."