An area man has been named as Kansas’ Secretary of state. Chris Biggs of Geary County, who currently serves as the state’s Securities commissioner, was named by Governor Mark Parkinson today (Tuesday) as the Secretary of State, replacing Republican Ron Thornburgh, who resigned Feb. 15 to become a senior vice president for Olathe-based NIC Inc., which builds and manages government Web sites. Before becoming Security Commissioner in 2003, Biggs served 14 years as Geary County Attorney. He is a graduate of Kansas State. Biggs will be the first Democrat to hold the office since January 1951. He’s also running for the job in this year’s election. When making the appointment, Governor Parkinson pointed to Biggs’ more than 20 years in public service, adding he’ll bring his forward-looking vision to the Office of Secretary of State, while increasing the efficiency and participation in Kansas’ elections.