Thornburgh Resigns as KS Secretary of State

Kansas' top elections official is resigning to take a job with a Kansas City-area company that builds government Web sites.

Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh announced Monday that he'll step down Feb. 15. He'll become senior vice president of sales and marketing for Olathe-based NIC Inc.

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, will name Thornburgh's replacement. Thornburgh's current term expires in January 2011. Thornburgh, a Republican, is serving his fourth term as secretary of state, having been first elected in 1994.

He decided against seeking a fifth term this year to run for governor but abandoned the race last year.

NIC says on its Web site that it builds and manages government Web sites and related services for 23 states and hundreds of local governments.