Should Dann be impeached? Elections chief has her doubtsSFlb

By Marc Kovac

The attorney general has done good work for the secretary of state’s office, its leader says.

COLUMBUS — The state’s chief elections official isn’t sure issues raised in an investigation of Attorney General Marc Dann’s office rise to a level that merits the Democratic officeholder’s impeachment.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who spoke to Dann Wednesday night on routine business matters involving her office, believes the attorney general should resign, as indicated in a letter sent by all of the state’s major Democratic officeholders earlier this week.

But, she said during an interview Thursday afternoon, “There’s nothing in there that says I think he should be impeached. ... I think it’s up to the House. .... Clearly the things that occurred were serious, but do we get to the level of it being an impeachable offense when that process hasn’t been used since the 1800s? I’m just not sure.”

Brunner allowed her name to be included on the letter sent to Dann on Sunday stating that Dann’s actions “have irreparably harmed your ability to effectively serve the people of our great state.”

It included notice that House Democrats “will immediately introduce a resolution seeking your impeachment” if he does not resign.

Brunner said the letter sent a political statement from Democratic leaders, “and I do feel that overall what’s occurred makes it difficult for him to be effective as attorney general and to be effective politically.”

House Republican and Democratic leaders are moving slowly and carefully on the impeachment issue. Brunner also she agreed with Speaker Jon Husted’s selection of Rep. Bill Batchelder, a Republican from Medina and former judge, to review the process and determine how the House would proceed with articles of impeachment.

“I have every confidence that if there are no grounds for impeachment that Mr. Batchelder will not move forward,” she said.

When Brunner took office last year, there were 20-plus lawsuits pending against the secretary of state. She said she has relied on the attorney general for legal advice on those and other issues and would continue to do so as long as he is in office.

“Marc’s done good work; he’s done good work for this office,” she said. “And I’m grateful to him for the time and the energy and the talent that he and the staff have put into helping us run good elections in the state. Quite frankly, I still need a lot of work from that office, and so for as long as Marc’s there, I’m going to continue to work with him because we have work to get done for the people of the state.”

She added, “To ensure that we’re subjecting the state to the least potential for litigation, we routinely consult with him, and we’ll continue to do that. And sometimes it means I consult with Marc, and I’ll continue to do that because I’ve been provided very good legal service up to this point.”

mkovac@dixcom.com.