CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The longtime Putnam County Clerk says he’s very likely to become a canddiate for the Repbulican nomination for Secretary of State. Brian Wood made the announcement on MetroNews flagship radio station WCHS in Charelston Thursday morning. Wood said his decision depedns on what current Secretary of State Mac Warner plans to do.
“With Secretary Warner announcing he’s considering running for Governor, I know they are big shoes to fill, but I’m seriously considering running for Secretary of State,” said Wood.
Wood has been the Putnam County Clerk for the past 18 years and prior to that served two terms as a Putnam County magistrate. He plans to run on his record of service to the county.
“My 18 years of experience and 26 elections under my belt run successfully and there were 25 years of clean audits with no critical findings of any nature,” he said.
Wood also serves as head of the County Clerks Association and has direct contact with the Secretary of State on a number of fronts. He said he knows what clerks need in West Virginia to conduct free and fair election and he’s ready to facilitate that to each individual county.
It’s anticipated he’ll have a lot of competition for the race, but Wood said he’s not deterred or intimidated by the process or the odds.
“I realize I’m not a ‘brand name’ so to speak and that I don’t have Millions in the bank. I’m an average Joe, grind it out daily, hands on worker. I hope the citizens of West Virginia will appreciate that and respect that. I’m the guy who worked their way from the bottom up,” he said.