Dems pull endorsement

Party denounces Dann; area official casts only ‘no’ vote

Staff, wire reports
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Democratic Party no longer considers scandal-plagued Attorney General Marc Dann one of its own, formally voting Saturday to strip an officeholder of his endorsement for the first time in the organization’s history.

Members of the state party’s executive committee moved quickly with a voice vote after little discussion. Only one member of the roughly 150-member committee voiced a ‘‘no,’’ and no one spoke in defense of the attorney general.

Dorothy McLaughlin of Mahoning County offered the sole support for Dann during Saturday’s discussion and said he had done nothing to warrant the party’s action Saturday.

‘‘As far as I’m concerned he’s always been a nice guy, wonderful family and everything,’’ said McLaughlin, a Democrat for 60 years. ‘‘And he has done a good job. You tell me what he has done wrong in terms of working for us. I don’t see anything. I have done a lot of research.’’

State leaders of both parties have been pressing Dann to resign for almost a week. Dann admitted on May 2 to an affair with a subordinate that he said contributed to an atmosphere leading to sexual harassment claims against a top aide in his office.

Three of his aides were forced out of their jobs. Another resigned.

Dann has refused to resign, even as both Republicans and Democrats in the Ohio House are considering impeachment.

‘‘One of Marc’s strengths a year-and-a-half ago was his stubbornness,’’ said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern after the vote Saturday. ‘‘Now it becomes increasingly evident that it’s a weakness.’’

Dann did not attend the public meeting Saturday.

‘‘The attorney general completely understands why they’re disappointed and that’s why he’s working everyday to earn back their trust,’’ said Dann spokesman Jason Stanford.

Gov. Ted Strickland and other top Democrats told Dann in a May 4 letter that the House would immediately move to impeach him if he did not resign.

Dorothy McLaughlin also called Strickland a ‘‘wonderful’’ governor but said he had overreacted to Dann’s situation.

Lawmakers have struggled throughout the past week to pinpoint offenses that may be impeachable. House Speaker Jon Husted, a Kettering Republican, first suggested that Dann appoint an independent investigator to help the House in its fact-finding efforts.

But Husted and Senate President Bill Harris, a Republican from Ashland, agreed Friday to pass legislation authorizing Ohio’s inspector general to investigate the attorney general’s office.

The Democratic Party’s actions Saturday represented the first formal sanctions against Dann.

‘‘The party obviously felt obliged to go on the record with a strong statement of their view of the situation,’’ said Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray.

Dann can still consider himself a Democrat, but Redfern said the party’s move to take away his 2006 endorsement essentially forces the attorney general to be an independent or an unendorsed Democrat. Should Dann survive in office and choose to run for re-election, the state party will actively work against him, Redfern said.

State Rep. Bob Hagan, D-Youngstown, is also an executive committee member. He was not able to attend the meeting and said he did not want to comment because he did not see the resolution. Ohio Rep. Thomas Letson, D-Warren, did not return phone messages. Hagan said he did not expect that Letson attended the meeting in Columbus on Saturday because his mother, Maude Jeffers Letson, died on Friday.



Tribune Chronicle reporter Joe Gorman contributed to this story.