A fresh start

Marc Dann was the last person to recognize he needed to step down as Ohio attorney general, but he finally - thankfully - called it quits. Quite simply, Ohio's top lawyer needs more trust than anyone could have in Dann.
The first-term Democrat from Youngstown resigned Wednesday with Gov. Ted Strickland, a fellow Democrat, at his side. "It is now clear to me that the only way to protect these priorities for the office of attorney general and for the people of Ohio is to remove myself from the situation," Dann said.
Politically, Dann had no one left by his side. Strickland and other prominent Democrats urged him to resign or face impeachment - a process not used successfully since 1805. It's one thing when the members of from the opposition party disgustedly call for your resignation - as the Republicans indeed were - but you've got serious trouble when your own party is leading the impeachment movement.
But, like so many politicians who find themselves in trouble, Dann's undoing was his own. Dann campaigned in 2006 by questioning the ethics of the Republican establishment long in control of state government. Most notable among them were convicted GOP fundraiser and Toledo coin dealer Tom Noe's connection to officeholders. Former Republican Gov. Bob Taft's receiving minor gifts he didn't report played a part in the Democratic finger-pointing that Dann led.
But Dann didn't require very much time in office to show what amateurs the Republicans could be in ethical lapses. Two female aides accused a longtime Dann friend and senior aide of sexual harassment. An internal investigation released earlier this month found that Anthony Gutierrez, supervisor of general services, had violated sexual harassment policy. Dann fired him. He also fired another longtime friend, communications chief Leo Jennings for asking another employee to lie under oath. Another top aide, chief of staff, Edgar Simpson, faced a forced resignation for failing to act swiftly on the harassment complaints.
Dann eventually admitted he had an affair with an unnamed employee in the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Dann later would say that his own behavior led to the problems in his office. The affair is for Dann and his family to sort out. His problem in office was ignoring those under his supervision were acting as they were and then for using his position to try to block information from coming out. Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles is looking into how Dann and others handled the sexual harassment case, so Dann might have more problems to come. Strickland now will name a replacement.
Dann started out by insisting none of his critics were questioning the legal work his office had done, and that he would work to put this scandal behind him. We're not sure anyone was aware over the last couple weeks that there still was legal work going on in the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Now that Dann has left office, perhaps the Ohio Attorney General's Office can get back to interpreting and enforcing the law rather than potentially violating it.