Ohio attorney general resigns

Ohio’s Democratic attorney general resigned yesterday after members of his own party threatened to impeach him over his extramarital affair with a female staff member and a sexual-harassment investigation in his office.

Marc Dann, 46, admitted May 2 to an affair with an employee that he said contributed to an atmosphere leading to sexual-harassment claims against a top aide. Three aides were forced out in the harassment investigation prompted by two 26-year-old female staffers, which showed managers encouraged a casual work environment with frequent profanity and inappropriate interactions with subordinates.

The attorney general, who was elected in November 2006, said he had to resign to end the scandal and preserve the ability of the office to carry out the priorities he established.

“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,” Mr. Dann said.

He spoke for less than three minutes and left Gov. Ted Strickland’s ceremonial Statehouse room without taking questions.

Mr. Strickland, a Democrat who led the call for Mr. Dann to resign or be impeached, didn’t name a replacement, but said he would begin reviewing possible successors immediately. Asked what qualities he would look for in a new attorney general, Mr. Strickland said bluntly: “Maturity.”

Local news media reported yesterday that authorities staged a raid on the attorney general’s offices, carting away documents as part of an undisclosed investigation.

Mr. Dann had resisted resigning, despite demands by Mr. Strickland and others within his party, a growing number of investigations into conduct at his office, and the filing Tuesday of articles of impeachment against him by House Democrats.

The lawmakers’ impeachment resolution outlined nine counts asserting that Mr. Dann should be impeached for gross neglect of duty, gross immorality and obstruction of his office’s investigation that found at least one employee was sexually harassed by a top aide.

The resolution also accused Mr. Dann of making misleading statements under oath and said he should have known his actions created a hostile work environment.

Democrats moved quickly to douse the political firestorm, voting on Saturday to strip Mr. Dann of the party endorsement — the first time in the organization’s history it had done so.

Mr. Dann’s fall follows that of another Democrat, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in disgrace March 12 after revelations emerged that he spent tens of thousands of dollars on prostitutes. While he has not been charged, a woman accused of booking johns for a high-priced call-girl ring pleaded guilty yesterday in the federal probe that brought down Mr. Spitzer, known as “Client No. 9.”

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.