who campaigned for his office on the slogan "Returning Trust to Ohio"
Friday morning admitted to a "romantic relationship" with a member of his staff, apologizing to his wife and staff "for my human failings."
Dann said he would remain in office and fix problems that arose during an internal investigation of sexual harassment allegations by two women who work in the attorney general's office. . . ."Yeah. It'll prob'ly be years before I'm done investigating myself!"
Asked why he won't resign, Dann replied: "Because I was elected by the people of Ohio. We're doing great legal work in this office ... there is nobody who has raised a single concern about the delivery of services from this office."
| Eliot Spitzer similarly endorsed the quality of his own work. He resigned shortly after that, too ... |
"I've suffered enough."
"I don't know what it (the policy) says," Dann said. "A consensual affair is not necessarily a violation of the sexual harassment policy in my office."
"At least, not when I do it!"
| The feminists remind us that sexual harrassment occurs when the power between the two people is unequal -- for example, an attorney general and a staffer. That the staffer 'consents' to the affair doesn't change the power relationship, and doesn't change the fact that it's harrassment. Of course, it's easier to demonstrate this when the politican is a Republican. I guess we're going to have to play 'Name That Party!' |
"I'm the boss, and he's a mere peon. That makes all the difference in the world."
"And I wanted her for myself. The bastid shoulda asked before movin' in like dat!"
and "the employee had done something long before (Dann took office) and it was not the first occurrence."
That must be the "one free grope" rule in action.
A spokesman for Gov. Ted Strickland said the governor was "very disappointed in the relationship" between Dann and the female staffer. . . .
Dann's comments followed the release of a report of an investigation of the sexual harassment allegations and the firing of two top aides. Two others, including Dann's former scheduler, resigned.Dann's relationship with his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, came under scrutiny after a co-worker complaining of sexual harassment by a Dann manager said she saw Utovich in pajamas in Dann's apartment last fall.
The two aides fired were: Anthony Gutierrez, the Dann manager accused of harassing two women who worked for him, and Leo Jennings III, Dann's communication director who the report says urged a colleague to lie to investigators. Ed Simpson, Dann's chief of policy and administration, resigned.
The report recommended that Guiterrez, who has been on paid leave during the investigation, be fired immediately for misusing his public position for creating a hostile work environment, in part by claiming he had ties to organized crime. "Not only did he abuse his authority but in the process he created an atmosphere in the General Services Section that left the employees fearful by constantly reminding them of his relationship with the Attorney General and his family's involvement with the Mafia," the report said. . . .Dann would not say whether he planned to run for re-election in 2010. "I'm committed to doing this job the best that I can," said Dann. "I don't know what's going to happen."
Regarding his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, a journalism professor at Youngstown State University, Dann said: "I'm very hopeful she will forgive me." She was not present at the press conference.
Fun trivia activity: guess Marc Dann's party affiliation. Just take a wild guess.
Answer here.
| You mean he DIDN'T trot his wife out to stand by him at the presser? Wow, color me surprised ... |