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Is it fair comment, or cheap shot?
When he was attorney general, Marc Dann blatantly lied to this writer. He subsequently admitted to telling the lie, but said he did so to protect his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff.
And then, he made a play for the heart strings: If you publicly involve my wife in this situation, it would be very sad, indeed.
What was the situation? Dann’s affair with the woman who served as his scheduler, Jessica Utovich.
First the lie.
In a conversation in his office in downtown Youngstown last month, Dann was asked this question: Are you now having or have you had an affair with Jessica Utovich?
His answer: No.
Question: Have you had an affair during your tenure as attorney general?
Answer: Yes.
Question: With someone in your office?
Answer: No.
Several days later, Dann met with members of The Vindicator’s staff to discuss the results of an internal investigation into sexual harassment complaints filed by two employees of his General Services director, Anthony Gutierrez. Gutierrez was a friend and neighbor from Liberty Township who was hired by the attorney general to work in Columbus.
Firings, resignation
The findings of the internal probe resulted in Gutierrez and Leo Jennings III, the communications director, being fired, and Edgar Simpson, the chief of staff, resigning.
At the meeting with the newspaper staff, which came on the heels of a press conference in Columbus during which he admitted to the affair with Utovich, Dann was asked why he lied about it in the first place.
He replied that he was trying to protect his wife. Why protect her?
Because just days before Dann’s admission about the extramarital affair, Lenhoff had dismissed the rumors about her husband’s behavior during a conversation with a Vindicator editor. This, despite the fact that he had confessed to her months ago.
Given the lies told by both Dann and Lenhoff, is it fair comment or a cheap shot to involve the wife in this still unfolding story of infidelity, sexual harassment and improper behavior by top officials in the attorney general’s office during Dann’s tenure?
While initially insisting that he would not resign, Dann subsequently did. Now, he is awaiting the results of several investigations into the operation of the office during his tenure.
His affair with Utovich is one of the issues being investigated.
The Dann-Lenhoff situation is just the latest in a chorus of impassioned pleas by corrupt public officials to “keep my family out of it.”
But it is difficult to do so when family members rise up in moral indignation when they see the names of their “loved” ones in the newspaper.
Same message
The letters, e-mails and telephone calls from mothers (sometimes fathers), sisters, brothers, children and even supporters of corrupt politicians all seem to convey the same message: He has suffered enough, leave him alone. And then there’s always this: Why punish the family?
Such a letter was received recently from a reader with regard to Congressman-turned-federal prisoner James A. Traficant Jr.
“Give us [an] explanation. Every Sunday we read your column. Each and every [one] has the name of James A. Traficant Jr. Why?
“He is not news! Most of us would like to forget any memory of him. Are you persecuting his family?
“A few days ago The Vindicator had a line-up of men who embarrassed Youngstown. Why? What good did this accomplish? Do you think this is news? What do out of town people think of Youngstown? What are The Vindicator’s motives?
“Suggestion, give us the inside news of city hall, and or the courts. What is the mayor [thinking] on recent issues? Do in-depth interviews with councilmen.”
The writer added a postscript: “Dan is old news.”
He obviously was referring to Marc Dann.
Old news? Hardly.
If there is anyone to blame for the pain suffered by family members and friends, it’s the politician who sells his soul for so many pieces of gold, or sex.