Magistrate’s ruling critical of Dann’s actions

YOUNGSTOWN — Despite the scandal at the attorney general’s office and calls for his resignation, Marc Dann has repeatedly said no one’s questioned the quality of service his office provides.

But that’s not the case.

Magistrate Michael L. Bachman of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court strongly criticized the actions of Dann, who personally argued in front of him a civil matter involving a foreclosure.

“This court must conclude that the attorney general was using this court to advance a political agenda rather than seek a legal remedy in a court of law,” the magistrate wrote in a Feb. 4 decision.

Bachman didn’t stop there.

The magistrate said Dann’s intervention in the housing foreclosure case was a conflict of interest under the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.

“This court has significant concerns regarding the ethical implications of the attorney general moving to dismiss an action,” he wrote in the decision that went against the woman who lost her house to foreclosure and Dann, a Liberty Democrat.

Democratic and Republican state officials are calling on Dann to resign as attorney general. A report on sexual harassment complaints, released May 2, harshly criticized Dann and the office for failing to properly oversee management employees, cronyism and a list of judgment errors by Dann and senior staffers.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com