Ohio attorney general stays on job despite resignation pleas

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Scandal-scarred Attorney General Marc Dann said he is staying on the job despite a resignation request Monday from Gov. Ted Strickland and other fellow Democratic leaders.

On Friday, Dann admitted to an extramarital affair with a subordinate after findings in an unrelated sexual harassment investigation threatened to reveal the relationship.

Dann conceded that his own behavior had contributed to an atmosphere in the office that permitted two junior staffers to be harassed and threatened by a friend and neighbor whom he had hired as an aide. That aide and another high-ranking staff member were fired, and two employees resigned.

Dann's actions irreparably harmed his ability to do his job, said a letter sent to Dann signed by Strickland and other Democrats including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, state officeholders and all of the party's state legislators.

"The work of the Office of the Attorney General matters more, and is far more important, than any one person," the leaders wrote in the letter penned Sunday night after a grueling weekend of contemplation. "In many, many cases it is all that stands between the people and the powerful. Sadly, we no longer have even the most remote hope that you can continue to effectively serve as Attorney General and that is why we are asking for your resignation."

Dann said his office will continue to provide legal services and work with law enforcement partners.

"I am in the office, have rolled up my sleeves and am working on behalf of the people of State of Ohio," Dann said in a news release in response to the resignation request.

He apologized for putting the officeholders in this position.

"But our work is too important to do anything but our jobs today," Dann said.

A message seeking further comment was left Monday with Dann spokesman Ted Hart.

Dann's Friday news conference was a hot topic over the weekend at political events in southern Ohio, with several people saying the attorney general needed to step down, said state Rep. Todd Book of Portsmouth, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.

"The governor is showing leadership on this issue to make sure the people of Ohio will have representatives and state officials that they'll be proud of," Book said on Monday.

Dann aide Anthony Gutierrez was fired Friday after an internal investigation found his treatment of two 26-year-old employees violated sexual harassment policy. Communications Director Leo Jennings, who was accused of asking a co-worker to lie under oath, also was fired.

Ed Simpson, Dann's policy chief, opted to resign. Dann's scheduler, Jessica Utovich, 28, also resigned last week without giving an explanation.

In his testimony during the investigation, Dann said Utovich sometimes spent the night at his apartment but declined to talk about his relationship with her specifically.

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