Headfirst into high tech

Online government

Leavitt said he had an "idea" about what state government needed to do to be more to Utahns, that business should be done "online" with a computer, rather than standing in line in a state building.

The concept is "Egovernment" — making every possible government service available to the public round the clock.

"There was no way to overstate, even then, the benefits of transforming the way people view government and how available it is to them," Leavitt said.

But the public appears to be catching on. Hits to the states Web site, www.utah.gov have increased rapidly. There are more than 100 services available online. This year, Utah became the first state in the country to offer "live chat" with government workers 24 hours a day.

During Leavitt's tenure, Utah became the first government in the world to recognize digital signatures in legal documents. It later became the first to offer a unique "vertical" one-stop business registration online for people to get necessary permits at the local, state and federal level.

Like other states, Utah's government Web site is continuing to evolve, but the site's general manager said the former governor played a crucial role in elevating its importance.

"Leavitt was about the most progressive governor in the area of technology in the country," Amy Stewart said. "That says a lot because he smooths the way for things to take hold and become institutionalized."

Stewart said the state is positioned in the next few years to become even more progressive with its online offerings, a momentum that will not slow with Gov. Olene Walker at the helm.

If there was a blurring moment in that vision for state government, it was last year's scandal involving the former chief information officer hired by Leavitt to bring about a change within the state bureaucracy.

Instead, Phil Windley is best remembered for instilling an atmosphere of controversy and distrust, fueled by a scandal in which Windley was accused of cronyism.

Windley eventually resigned but not before the scandal tarnished the otherwise gleaming reputation of Leavitt's internal technology initiatives.

Even now, Leavitt won't concede Windley was a mistake but merely a distraction on the path the state is headed.

Jobs gained, lost

As the technology industry began to take off, Utah tapped into the fast-growing job arena, with Leavitt initiating efforts to get the state on the map with high-tech jobs.