POLITICS Bennett calls Dann hypocrite

The attorney general hopeful has traveled Ohio speaking against political corruption.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
WARREN -- State Sen. Marc Dann barely had the words out of his mouth about his 2006 run for Ohio attorney general when the state Republican Party's chairman and the only announced GOP candidate for the job went on the attack.
In response to Dann's announcement Monday, Ohio Republican Chairman Robert Bennett called the Democrat "one of the biggest hypocrites in state government."
For the past eight months or so, Dann, of Liberty, D-32nd, has acted like a statewide candidate speaking throughout Ohio about the "vile pay-to-play system that has infected state government."
Initially, Dann, a Shaker Heights native, said his only political aspirations were to be the Democratic leader in the Ohio Senate or a congressman if U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, ran for the U.S. Senate, something Ryan opted not to do.
"It took me until October to say, 'Attorney General Marc Dann' without laughing," Dann said.
Dann told a crowd of family, friends, local labor leaders and Democratic officials inside the courtroom of Judge John Stuard of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court that if elected attorney general, he would be "the lawyer for the people rather than the lapdog for the special interests." He later made candidate announcements in Shaker Heights, Columbus and Toledo.
Attacked governor
Dann, an attorney, specifically attacked Gov. Bob Taft and Attorney General Jim Petro, who's running next year for governor, questioning their knowledge of and what he deemed their failure to react in a timely manner to the state Bureau of Workers' Compensation scandal that saw the agency's investment portfolio lose more than $250 million. Dann is suing Taft in the Ohio Supreme Court demanding the governor turn over documents from his staff regarding the BWC issue.
Taft was found guilty in August of four misdemeanor counts for failing to disclose about $6,000 worth of gifts given to him between 2001 and 2004 on his state ethics report.
Bennett said Dann asked in June to amend his 2004 ethics report because he failed to disclose a gift, a jacket worth $168, from the American Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education, a motorcycle rights group. Also in that amended report -- filed by Kris Long, the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus' chief of staff -- there is a request to also include a $14.50 meal paid by Youngstown State University for Dann.
State officeholders must list each gift worth at least $75 on their annual ethics report, so the YSU meal didn't need to be filed.
Bennett said Dann "sets himself up as an expert on state ethics laws, but his record shows otherwise." Bennett also said the "oversight" led to a conviction of a sitting public official. Although no name is mentioned, the official is Taft.
Leo Jennings III, Dann's campaign consultant, said there is a huge difference between Dann's amended ethics report and Taft's.
Dann filed his amended report about a month after the regular report while Taft filed his years later and only when he was under investigation, Jennings said.
Other candidates
To win the attorney general race, Dann said he'll need to raise $3 million. Dann said he's raised about $250,000 so far and expects to raise about $500,000 by the end of the year. Subodh Chandra, a former Cleveland law director and assistant federal prosecutor, is running for attorney general as a Democrat next year. Also, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien, a Democrat, is considering a run for the seat.
Mike Thomas, Chandra's campaign spokesman, said the candidate raised more than $150,000, and, like Dann, expects to raise about $3 million.
"Dann is primarily a divorce attorney and Subodh is a former federal prosecutor and law director," Thomas said. "There's a difference between talking about cleaning up corruption and doing it."
State Sen. Tim Grendell of Chesterland, R-18th, is the only announced Republican candidate for attorney general. Grendell expects the top attorney general candidates to spend closer to $2 million each because the big money will go next year to the party's U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates. Grendell said he's raised about $200,000 so far for his campaign.
The two worked together at times on issues to reform state government, but the alliance between Grendell and Dann fell apart.
"My attorney general campaign is about providing solid solutions to current and future problems facing Ohio," Grendell said. "Mr. Dann would rather criticize, create cute sound bites and grandstand on Ohio's misfortunes."
Dann describes Grendell as an "incredibly articulate member of the Senate. But I'm very disappointed that he sat on the sidelines while our state was plundered by Republicans."
Grendell said every time he tried to work with Dann, the Democrat was more interested in criticizing Republicans than reforming government.
Not a favorite
Grendell acknowledges he's not his party's favorite Senate member because of his criticism of Republican officeholders. John McClelland, Ohio Republican Party spokesman, said he hasn't heard Republicans complain about Grendell.
Brian Rothenberg, an Ohio Democratic Party spokesman, describes Dann as a "tenacious guy. He's an activist, and he gives us a strong candidate."
The Rev. Jay Alford of Youngstown attended Dann's announcement and then told reporters that Dann's support of casinos and his stand on right-to-life and same-sex marriages concern him.
The Rev. Mr. Alford led a group of more than 100 Youngstown-area clergy members who supported the successful election last week of Jay Williams as Youngstown mayor. He had said the clergy group would take a more active role in Mahoning Valley politics.
Dann said standing up to government corruption and special interest groups is more important than his stand on issues that concern Mr. Alford. Regardless of his personal views, Dann said he would "aggressively defend" the laws of Ohio.
"There's a huge moral issue in this state, and it's honesty," he said.
skolnick@vindy.com