State of the Union

Party's over

Where are they now?

From The Columbus Dispatch:

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann spent his first day after resigning helping his wife with her business selling dishes online.

Dann's attorney Mike Harshman says Dann helped his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff Dann, with her side job selling Fiestaware on the Internet.

The article adds, "Harshman says Dann is weighing career options that could include the law, teaching or another run for political office."

Uh, NO on the last one.  How 'bout a new law firm: 

Spitzer, Dann, O'Malley & Barrett, L.P.A.   
Specializing in sex crimes and sexual harassment cases

Dann's already got the number lined up.

The laughs continue even though he's gone

Three in a row

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett issued the following statement today regarding the resignation of Cuyahoga County Recorder Patrick O'Malley, the secretary of the Ohio Democratic Party:

"This is yet another sad case of a Democratic Party in Ohio that is falling dramatically short of the higher standard they promised.  In a matter of days, we've seen a county elected official, a state legislator and an attorney general resign in disgrace, and they're all Democrats.  The Democrats like to brag about cleaning their own house, but they seem to live in a pigsty lately.  You know it's bad when the corruption even reaches the leadership of the Ohio Democratic Party."

Patrick O'Malley ran a Dann-like operation of cronyism, incompetence and corruption for years, but Democrats never said a word:

• Cronyism: A Plain Dealer review of the recorder's 2007 payroll found that O'Malley has given nearly three dozen jobs, with combined salaries of $1.4 million, to politicos and their kin - former mayors, the son and daughter of a judge, the wife of a councilman.   A review of applications also found people whose previous job skills don't match the work they do for O'Malley.  (The Plain Dealer, 4/27/08)

• Corruption: Shortly after filing in January to run for Cuyahoga County recorder, Cathy Luks said incumbent Patrick O'Malley offered her a $50,000-a-year job in his office if she dropped out of the race.  Under Ohio law, offering something of value to affect an election is a felony. A conviction could result in a candidate being forced off the ballot or being barred from taking office.  Henry Eckhart, spokesman for the government watchdog group Common Cause-Ohio, said an incumbent offering a job to get rid of a challenger would be a "dumb thing to do."  (The Plain Dealer, 4/27/08)

• Negligence:  Cuyahoga County has foreclosed on a property owned by one of its elected officials.  Recorder Patrick O'Malley failed to pay three years' worth of property taxes, from 2005 to 2007, on a commercial property he bought in 2001. He owes more than $18,000 in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest on the property - the former Aragon Ballroom on Cleveland's West Side.   "I've got financial problems like anybody else," he said. "You want to condemn me for that, I don't care."   (The Plain Dealer, 1/26/08)

Kudos to Ohio Republican leadership

The Plain Dealer writes in an editorial today that the scandal bringing down disgraced former Attorney General Marc Dann covered everything from sexual harassment to extramarital affairs:

But those revelations didn't drive Dann from office. Neither did all the Democratic posturing about impeachment. Were they not so offensive to the Ohio Constitution, the articles of impeachment against Dann introduced by Gov. Ted Strickland's disciples on Tuesday would have been laughable.

No, what apparently scared Dann right out of office was the Republican-initiated investigation of Dann's office by Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles - an investigation authorized by the legislature and signed off by the governor. Only after the legislature mandated the inspector general probe did Dann begin trying to cut a deal to drop the investigation in return for his resignation.

To their credit, Strickland, House Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris all refused.

That's all, folks

Brunner admits to engaging in partisan politics

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner admitted to engaging in partisan politics this week, declaring the letter sent to Marc Dann by Ohio Democratic Party leaders (and signed by her) "a political statement."

Brunner said the letter sent a political statement from Democratic leaders, “and I do feel that overall what’s occurred makes it difficult for him to be effective as attorney general and to be effective politically.”  (Youngstown Vindicator)

A political statement?  We thought Jennifer Brunner vowed to avoid partisanship and political statements as Ohio's chief elections officer.  At least that's what she promised:

"If you're going to umpire the game, you can't wear a jersey of one of the teams." (Salon.com)

It's certainly not the first time Jennifer Brunner has been caught wearing her blue Democrat jersey.

The ever-changing positions of Ted Strickland

Ted Strickland on Sunday threatening impeachment:

We also want to make you aware that if you do not choose to resign, Democratic members of the Ohio House of Representatives will immediately introduce a resolution seeking your impeachment.  (Strickland letter to Marc Dann)

Ted Strickland on Monday encouraging impeachment:

"I am calling for his resignation and I am saying that I will encourage impeachment if he refuses to step down. And I think that's a pretty clear message to the people of this state that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated." (Strickland News Conference)

Ted Strickland on Tuesday moving forward with impeachment:

"I believe that given the totality of the information that is known that there (are) justifiable reasons for continuing to move forward with an impeachment process," Mr. Strickland said.  (Gongwer News Service)

Ted Strickland on Thursday not supporting impeachment:

Gov. Ted Strickland said there are grounds for impeachment, but he also kept the door open for not going through the removal process if the evidence doesn't warrant it. 

"I've expressed my opinion, but there's a lot of research going on, and if there isn't very credible evidence that something of a serious nature that can be established occurred, then I certainly would not support impeachment," Strickland said.  (Columbus Dispatch)

UPDATE: Brunner flip-flops on impeachment

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner favors the impeachment of Marc Dann.   At least that's what she said in a letter to Dann last week threatening that the Ohio House would "immediately introduce a resolution seeking your impeachment" if he didn't resign.

But now she's getting soft. The Dispatch reports...

Meanwhile, not all Democrats who signed Sunday's letter calling for Dann to resign or face impeachment are saying they are fully behind impeachment proceedings.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said she was willing to call for Dann to resign on grounds that he no longer can be effective as attorney general, but the question of impeachment is beyond her purview.

"I have no real role in the impeachment process, and I think the letter indicated that Democrats would file an impeachment resolution," Brunner said. "I think that statement was really more on behalf of the legislative folks."

So you really didn't mean what you wrote in the letter?  Or you didn't actually read the letter you signed?  Do you give this much thought to all your directives, Madam Secretary?

Update: Now Brunner has done a complete 180 on the issue.  She started the week joining other Democrats in a threat of impeachment and ended it in complete hypocrisy:

But, she said during an interview Thursday afternoon, “There’s nothing in there that says I think he should be impeached. ... I think it’s up to the House. .... Clearly the things that occurred were serious, but do we get to the level of it being an impeachable offense when that process hasn’t been used since the 1800s? I’m just not sure.” (Youngstown Vindicator)

Another employee suspended from Marc Dann's office

The Columbus Dispatch reports Marc Dann's employees were running a private business on state time out of the attorney general's office:

Another of Attorney General Marc Dann's employees has been suspended, accused of helping her former boss, Anthony Gutierrez, run his Youngstown construction business from his state office.

And apparently Dann tried to keep it quiet because the revelation makes him a liar yet again:

The suspension, disclosed by the Dann administration yesterday only after The Dispatch inquired about it, contradicts Dann's statement last Friday that all matters related to the investigation had been fully disclosed.

Dann still arrogantly refuses to resign. 

The jokes continue...

Boccieri can't even manage his own website

Democrat congressional candidate John Boccieri can't seem to make up his mind on Attorney General Marc Dann. 

Boccieri last Friday: "It's a personal matter as long as there were no criminal or ethical standards crossed." 

Boccieri on Monday:  "I am outraged that the Attorney General of the state of Ohio has neglected the duty and honor of public service.  ... For this reason, I call upon Marc Dann to resign immediately."

Boccieri apparently changes his mind so fast his website can't keep up.  On one page of his site Boccieri calls for Dann to resign, and on the other page he's promoting Dann's endorsement.  The guy can't even manage a website, and he wants to go to Congress?

 

 

I've seen the future of the Ohio Democratic Party...

So said the managing editor of the Sandusky Register last October:

I've seen the future of the Ohio Democratic Party and its name is Marc Dann.

The guy then went on with giddy abandon like Chris Matthews after an Obama speech, raving about Dann "breathing new life and fresh air" into the Democrat Party.  So much for that. 

He's right about one thing.  If Marc Dann doesn't resign soon, he WILL be the future of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Flashback: Dann's chief of staff once joked about indictment

From the Dayton Daily News:

Edgar Simpson, Dann's new chief of staff, announced his move from journalism to politics in a farewell column as editor of The Joplin Globe in Missouri.

"Going to the dark side is not an easy thing. I found it only mildly amusing when some newsroom wag immediately started a pool on when I would be indicted," Simpson wrote.
["Attorney General's office off to a bad start." Dayton Daily News. 1/15/07]

No indictment yet, but it only took 18 months for a resignation.

Dems starting to ooze hypocrisy

Here's Democrat State Rep. John Boccieri on Friday responding to a question on whether Attorney General Marc Dann should resign:

"It's a personal matter as long as there were no criminal or ethical standards crossed," he said. "Clearly with the others, there were ethical and criminal issues that are pretty serious."  (Canton Repository)

Here's John Boccieri on Monday:

"After combing through the sordid details of the investigation transcripts, it is clear that ethical and moral lines have been disregarded. For this reason, I call upon Marc Dann to resign immediately."

Right.  "Combing through the sordid details."  More like jumping on the bandwagon after realizing you were WAY off message.

New developments in the Marc Dann scandal

A state lawmaker wants a special prosecutor to investigate whether Dann and his cronies committed multiple crimes during the course of the scandal, including obstructing justice, destroying evidence, perjury and theft in office.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Dann's office was made aware of sexual harassment problems at least five months before claims were formally filed.  The article also adds, "Even the human-resources director was afraid of Gutierrez" because he was Dann's "best friend." 

The Columbus Dispatch calls on Dann to resign

From today's Dispatch editorial:

Ohio's attorney general must be able to provide leadership, command respect and exercise strong judgment. Marc Dann has failed miserably in all three and is not fit to serve.
Dann disgraced himself and his department, operating an office where the atmosphere was, in his words, "embarrassingly undignified."

That's an understatement.  ...

This situation is a debacle for Dann and a tragedy for the state. He took over the office with high hopes, energy and a desire to run an effective office. That promise has been destroyed, and Dann has no one but himself to blame.

Dann betrayed the trust the voters placed in him, and that will dog the attorney general's office for as long as he remains.

Dann investigates himself... again

This time he's hiring a campaign contributor to review the office's management practices.  And why not.  Apparently the "cronyism, hostile work environment, sexual harassment and excessive use of profanity" found in the last internal review weren't enough to convince Dann that he's a terrible manager, so we might as well dig around for some more.

Oh, and in case you're still waiting on the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party to say something about his disgraced, hand-picked attorney general, he's not taking calls today:

A message also was left for state Rep. Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. (AP)

The Plain Dealer calls on Dann to resign

From The Plain Dealer's Sunday editorial:

In short, Marc Dann has disgraced himself far more than he seems to realize. He has fallen so far, so fast, that it's impossible to see how he can recover, personally, politically or professionally.

That's why he needs to go.  ...

The honor of the attorney general's office and that of its 1,400 employees has been compromised by a handful of people who accompanied Dann to Columbus and composed his inner circle. He claims to have been unaware of what Gutierrez and Jennings were up to, even when they shared an apartment. He seems unable to fathom the message he sent to his agency by carrying on a not-terribly-secret affair with a young staffer. He seems to think that good intentions can offset a long string of serious errors and misjudgments.

No one in public life is perfect. But all must be accountable. And realistic.

Every fiber of Marc Dann's being tells him to stay and fight.

He thinks he can make everything right again. He's wrong about that, too.

Lancaster Eagle Gazette calls on Dann to resign

From the Lancaster Eagle Gazette:

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann should immediately resign for one simple reason. His admissions Friday of an extramarital affair with an employee and the sexual harassment and unprofessional behavior that occurred under his watch would be more than enough for any employer or board of directors to show him the door. ...

The only way Dann can restore integrity to Ohio's attorney general office is to leave it.

Note: This editorial is part of the Newspaper Network of Central Ohio and also appears in the Mansfield News Journal, Newark Advocate, and the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum among others.