Ohio Atty. Gen. Resigns Amid Scandal

The Democrat attorney general whose campaign centered on returning ethics—supposedly diminished by Republicans—to state government has resigned under fire for his involvement in a massive sexual harassment scandal that has rocked is office for years.

Disgraced Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann initially refused to resign although he proudly fired three top aides for their roles in the fiasco. The man elected to uphold Ohio’s laws and Constitution claimed he simply had an extramarital affair with a young secretary in his office and therefore he should keep his job.

Dann did fire the mistress, however, who had been in charge of scheduling in the attorney general’s office. The other fired aides included the directors of general services and communications and a third high-ranking administration official.

A bipartisan group of outraged state legislators immediately called for Dann’s resignation, pointing out that he also committed perjury by amending sworn testimony to investigators in order to conceal the extramarital affair. The attorney general evidently lied about the fact that the mistress (Jessica Utovich) stayed overnight at a condo he rented with several ill-qualified friends that he hired as highly paid aides.

Last week Dann said he was embarrassed about the affair but refused calls to leave office. Incensed Democrats kicked him out of the party, filed articles of impeachment against him and refused to block a state inspector general’s investigation launched by Republicans.

He finally got the message and quit this week. In a resignation letter addressed to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Dann apologized and accepted responsibility for not conducting his personal life in a way that is consistent with the important mission of the office.

Perhaps the unemployed attorney general can give the soon-to-be unemployed mayor of Detroit (Kwame Kilpatrick) a ring. He also refuses to resign, even after getting busted for lying under oath to conceal an extramarital affiar with an employee. Now he faces impeachment as well as criminal charges.