Double standard for Dann, Alli says
By JOE GORMAN / Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: May 9, 2008
Fact Box
In the last seven days, Ohio Attorney Marc Dann has admitted to an affair and had three high-level staffers leave his office following a sexual harassment investigation, which has led to call from Democrats and Republicans for him to step down. Here is a breakdown of the past week:? Friday, May 2 — Two top aides are fired and another is forced to resign after an investigation into sexual harassment charges filed by two women in the office. Dann, in a news conference, admits he had an extramarital affair and acknowledges that his conduct likely contributed to an extremely casual work atmosphere.
Dann apologizes for the affair and for his management failures.
Republicans immediately call for Dann to resign, but Democrats take a wait-and-see stance, saying they want to examine all the information before coming to a conclusion.
Local reaction ranges from sadness to disappointment.
? Sunday, May 4 — Gov. Ted Strickland and other high-ranking Democrats in Ohio, including Rich Cordray, treasurer, Jennifer Brunner, secretary of state, and Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, send Dann a letter requesting he resign, saying his ‘‘actions have irreparably harmed’’ his ability to serve Ohioans.
In the letter is an ultimatum: Resign or face impeachment.
? Monday, May 5 — Dann sends a memo to all members of his staff, saying he is not going to step down.
‘‘I am in the office, have rolled up my sleeves and am working on behalf of the people of the State of Ohio,’’ the memo states.
The Ohio Democratic Party removes Dann’s biography and picture from its Web site.
? Tuesday, May 6 — Three Democratic lawmakers are selected to study the procedures and draft articles of impeachment against Dann. The tone has softened while lawmakers research the process, but they are continuing to move toward that end.
Trumbull County labor leader Jim Graham says he warned Dann not to hire two of the fired top aides — Leo Jennings III, former communications director, and Anthony Gutierrez, former general services director. Jennings, when reached, says Graham’s statements are ridiculous.
Dann’s father-in-law, Bentley Lenhoff, speaks publicly about the situation, saying Dann has made mistakes, but nothing reaching the level of impeachment. He also says the family knew of Dann’s affair months before it was made public.
? Wednesday, May 7 — It’s reported that 13 supervisors with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, an agency that performs investigative and forensic services for law enforcement in Ohio, have sent a letter to Dann complaining a plan to reorganize a part of the agency would ‘‘politicize’’ the center. The letter sent on April 14 — in the middle of the sexual harassment investigation — threatens a confidence/no confidence vote against appointments made by the administration.
The proposed change is not implemented.
? Thursday, May 8 — It is reported that Dann hired Texas-based political consultant Jason Stanford, apparently out of concern for his political future. The attorney general’s office says Stanford would be fielding questions regarding impeachment or if Dann resigns, not about office activity.
Alli, who was fired April 19, 2007, after he was accused of collecting a paycheck from the Police Department and the state at the same time, said he was fired without the benefit of an investigation by Dann’s office, and in fact never even spoke to Dann personally about his firing.
‘‘There was no investigation when I was terminated,’’ Alli said. ‘‘I was never questioned until the day of my termination.’’
He said he spoke to someone from the Ethics Commission in October but has heard nothing. Dave Freel, executive director of the commission, said Thursday that the investigation of Alli is not closed.
‘‘That investigation is ongoing at the present time,’’ Freel said.
Anthony Gutierrez, a top aide of Dann’s, was fired May 2 after an investigation was launched into sexual harassment of two female staffers in Dann’s office. Gutierrez also has been accused of crashing a state car while drunk. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating that crash and two others.
Fellow top aide, Leo Jennings III was fired the same day.
Ted Hart, a spokesman for Dann, said Gutierrez’s situation was different than Alli’s because two employees had accused Gutierrez of misconduct, which was why an investigation had taken place. He also said Alli served at the pleasure of the attorney general, which means he could be hired or fired at will.
Alli said he heard rumors of misconduct about other employees in the attorney general’s office but did not report anything to his superiors because he did not want to act without proof.
‘‘I did not want to lower myself to their standards and make accusations without proof, so no, I didn’t (speak to anyone),’’ he said.
Alli worked for the city for almost 30 years before taking a job with Dann in January 2007 as his top law enforcement official. At the same time, he was also collecting his accumulated vacation time from the city. When Dann’s office found out, he was fired.
Alli said he was following a common practice of retiring city employees who collected their unused time that way instead of receiving it in a lump sum.
The day he was fired, Alli was summoned to a meeting with former Dann Chief of Staff Edgar Simpson, where he first heard of the matter. It was during an argument with Simpson that he was fired. Alli said he never spoke with Dann about his firing.
Simpson resigned the same day Gutierrez and Jennings were fired.
Alli said he tried to call Dann several times but he could not get the attorney general to take his call.
When asked if Dann should resign or be impeached, Alli said he wants an outside investigation of the Attorney General’s Office so Dann does not have to go through what he did. He also said there is a lot of good work going on in the office and a lot of good people working there.
‘‘I don’t want Marc to suffer like I suffered,’’ Alli said. ‘‘I don’t wish any ill feelings on him.’’
jgorman@tribune-chronicle.com
Member Comments
View Comments: | 1-8 | Post a comment
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Handala
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05-09-08 5:11 PM
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I agree, we need a man of proven integrity and character that can LEAD!Not some womanizer like FDR that had an affair with Lucy Mercer.And I liked Ike untill I found out he was doing the dirty deed with with his chaffeur, Kay Summersby!With these inept examples I fear Dann couldn't "lead" either!Hmm?
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VoiceOfReason
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05-09-08 1:43 PM
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What? Is this what you said Alli? ‘‘I did not want to lower myself to their standards and make accusations without proof, so no, I didn’t (speak to anyone).’’ You deserve to be fired after making a comment like that, especially given your background. Think about what you just stated. And by the way, it doesn’t take much skill to investigate two paychecks tied to one individual – I think that’s called a clue in investigative terms. Pfffttttt….
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concerned
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05-09-08 1:35 PM
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His mistakes were not outside of work. He was sleeping with his secretary for God's sake. He put incompetent people in positions that they were not qualified for. As a result sexual harassment was rampant in a government office that he is the head of. The emails released emails revealed that he pursued this extrmarital affair from within the workplace. He has admitted to all of this. When I make mistakes they have consequences both inside and outside the workplace. But I guess it is different if you are a politician.
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MasterBlaster
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05-09-08 1:29 PM
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cat1245 that is something special. That is a rare thing and now im looking at him in a different light. Everyone does make mistakes. We're all human, and he made his mistakes OUTSIDE of work, What don't people understand?
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cortlandmom
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05-09-08 11:36 AM
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Cat, I figured you had a personal interest in this the way you defended him. I am glad he did a good job for your son and his family but you cannot base his whole career on just one case. Everyone gets a break now and then. Would you defend your husband this strongly? It's just hard for me to defend someone who cannot be committed to his wife and family and wants the support of the people. His record speaks for itself.
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concerned
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05-09-08 10:57 AM
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cat1245, He is not AG material. The voters obviosly made a mistake. I am happy to say I was not among them. However, We will have the opportunity to vote again. Perhaps the next time they will dig a little deeper into the integrity, character, and qualifications of the candidates. Then Mr. Dann can go home and resume his practice litigating against insurance companies. However, there is no way I would be foolish enough to be his client!
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cat1245
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05-09-08 10:43 AM
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He is also the "Lazy" bum who "PRO-BONO" came forward and helped my son and his family fight a large nationwide insurance company when they lost EVERYTHING due to severe toxic mold in their home and the insurance company would not honor their policy as all insurance co. were doing at that time. Due to his "LAZINESS", my son's family were able to rebuild, and the case set a precedent for future cases, which helped many families with the same problem. There are 2 sides to every coin. We can keep this up for weeks and nothing we say will matter. It is no longer up to the voters but up to the state politicians as to how they percieve the impeachment guidelines. Now--only time will tell.
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cortlandmom
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05-09-08 8:53 AM
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That is why my friends fired him. He never would answer his calls or return them. He missed many court appearance and so on. Is this who we want representing our state? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is a lazy bum who is overpaid and underqualified.
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