Dann didn’t learn from mistakes of Valley officeholders

By Bertram de Souza

If only embattled Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann had paid attention nine years ago to what then-federal prosecutor Steven J. Katzman said about politics in the Mahoning Valley.

If only James A. Traficant Jr., the Valley congressman-turned-federal prisoner, had taken Katzman’s words to heart.

If only James A. Philomena, Mahoning County’s prosecutor-turned-jailbird, had heeded the assistant U.S. attorney’s warnings about public officials’ being careful about the company they keep.

If only.

Katzman, who left Youngstown in April 1999 for private practice in California, was brutally honest in his assessment of Mahoning Valley’s politics, in general, and the legal community, in particular.

In an exit interview with veteran Vindicator crime reporter Patricia Meade, he characterized the region as a sociologically and politically regressive community mired in corruption.

Traficant, Philomena, former Mahoning County Sheriff Phil Chance, former Judges Patrick Kerrigan, Andrew Polovischak and Martin Emrich, and all the other 70 or so lawyers, officeholders and mobsters who were convicted in the federal government’s corruption dragnet proved Katzman right.

Dann knew all this, and yet when he was elected attorney general in November 2006, what did he do? He immediately surrounded himself with two cronies, Leo Jennings III and Anthony Gutierrez, both Mahoning Valley products, who are responsible for the mess Dann finds himself in today.

Jennings and Gutierrez are the subjects of a ballooning sexual harassment investigation. They are on paid administrative leave.

Gutierrez, of Liberty Township, the director of general services in the AG’s office, has been accused by two female employees of sexual harassment.

Jennings, the office’s communications director and Dann’s confidant, was placed on paid leave Monday after pertinent information surfaced over the weekend.

“An allegation has been raised in connection with your actions relating to an open investigation of sexual harassment charges,” a letter in Jennings’ personnel file states.

Dann, a former Liberty school board member and state senator who had practiced law in the Valley, had been forewarned about Jennings, in particular, and his hirings of individuals from this area, in general.

Dann ignored the warnings. Why?

Loyalty.

Said an individual with knowledge of what went on as Dann was assembling his staff before taking office in January 2007, “He’s loyal to his friends.”

Even friends like these.

Dann apparently believes in redemption and second chances.

Interestingly, that was the very same reason given by Traficant when it was revealed that his top congressional aide and confidant, Charles O’Nesti, had dealings with Valley Mafia boss Lenine “Lenny” Strollo — after he was on the federal payroll.

Why didn’t you just get rid of Chuck, Traficant was asked.

“I’m loyal to my friends,” the then-congressman said.

He also pointed out that one of the reasons O’Nesti was in contact with Strollo was that the mobster was providing his friend with cancer medicine he was importing from a dealer in Mexico.

O’Nesti, who died in 2000, was a former Youngstown fire chief who joined Traficant when he was sworn in as sheriff of Mahoning County in 1980 and then went with him to Congress in 1985.

Traficant is now serving an eight-year sentence in federal prison; he was convicted by a jury in federal court on 10 criminal counts, including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion.

Strollo is completing a 12-year sentence for racketeering.

After his arrest, he became a government witness in various federal trials and provided information to the feds about organized crime activities in the Valley and the country.

Philomena, the county prosecutor who put up a “Justice for Sale” sign after taking office, served time in federal and state prisons for racketeering and bribery. He died in 2007.

When Philomena was elected, he was seen as the new generation of officeholder. Good-looking, educated, intelligent, a leading criminal lawyer, an attractive family — he had it all.

But there was a flaw in his character — as evidenced by his decision to allow George Alexander, a well-known wheeler and dealer (others who know him aren’t as kind in their descriptions) to have a desk and a telephone in the prosecutor’s office.

Alexander, who ultimately served time in federal prison, was convicted of case-fixing.

Asked why he permitted Alexander to even show his face in the prosecutor’s office, Philomena said he felt a certain loyalty to him because he played a major role in his election victory.

Ironically, Alexander was also involved in Traficant’s campaigns for sheriff and Congress and was given access to the congressman’s Washington office.

Staffers hired in Washington (as opposed to those who were Traficant’s cronies from the Valley) were shocked one day early in the congressman’s tenure when an odd-looking character in a full-length winter coat walked into the office and demanded “Where’s my desk?”

When one of the congressional aides asked, “Who are you?” Alexander replied in all his pomposity, “I’m the guy who put Jim in office.”

Marc Dann was a witness to government corruption and organized crime in the Mahoning Valley. Indeed, he joined the good government forces bent on cleaning up the public sector.

That’s what made him such a compelling candidate. He offered a different type of politics.

His tenure in the Ohio Senate was defined by his single-handed attack (in the Legislature, at least) on what he termed the “Pay to Play” culture embraced by Republicans who controlled all the statewide administrative offices.

He blew the lid off “Coingate,” which epitomized the selling of state government to major GOP contributors.

Dann parlayed the reputation he earned as the champion of transparent, honest government into a victory in the attorney general’s race.

He took office with high expectations.

Now he is forced to answer questions from reporters about the good-old-boys on his staff. He is also being asked whether he plans to resign.

The daily stories about abuse of power are taking their toll.

If only Marc Dann had paid attention to what Steven Katzman said as he was leaving Youngstown:

“ … your conduct in your off-duty hours transcends to your on-duty hours. You have a 24-hour, seven-day obligation to live that position, to be a role model for the community. If you didn’t want that, then you should not have taken the position to begin with.”

It’s not that elected officials shouldn’t drink or golf with their friends, Katzman said, but they should recognize that everything they do will be examined under the microscope and should be above reproach.

“None of us are perfect,” the former federal prosecutor said. “I’m not perfect. But on my off-duty hours, I recognize people will recognize me, and I have a moral obligation not to make a jerk of myself.”

If Attorney General Marc Dann survives this crisis, he should call Katzman in California and beg him to take a job as his righthand man.

It’s obvious that he needs someone close to him who will tell him not to be a jerk — and not to hire jerks.