Ohio House speaker proposes watchdog fto monitor officials

COLUMBUS (AP) The leader of the Ohio House on Friday proposed a significant shift in state government checks and balances, saying the state inspector general should be given permanent power to probe the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, auditor and treasurer.

Under current law, the inspector general is appointed by the governor and has the power to investigate the governor and state agencies he oversees.

In the wake of a scandal in former Attorney General Marc Dann’s office, lawmakers took landmark action last week that gave Inspector General Tom Charles one-time ability to investigate the attorney general’s office.

Dann, a Democrat from Liberty, resigned earlier this month in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal that rocked his office. In responding to the findings of an investigation into the matter, Dann admitted an affair with a subordinate, a lack of preparation for his job and hiring friends who were ill-qualified for their positions. House Democrats introduced impeachment charges that were dropped when Dann resigned.

“When unethical, unlawful and unprofessional behavior occurs in the office of Ohio’s top law enforcement official, who are people supposed to call?” House Speaker Jon Husted, a Republican, said in a statement.

Husted said an internal investigation into activities at Dann’s office, conducted by a top Dann deputy, was not handled well and Ohio should not leave itself in a position where independent investigations cannot be conducted in offices other than the governor’s.

He said his chamber’s proposal announced Friday is an outgrowth of the need made apparent by the Dann case.

The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Bacon, calls for the inspector general to be appointed by Ohio’s chief justice rather than the governor after 2011, with confirmation required by the Ohio Senate.

David Goldberger, an Ohio State University law professor and expert in constitutional issues, said the proposal could create a serious conflict among Ohio’s branches of government, which are designed to remain separate and monitor each other’s actions.

“It’s very difficult to set boundaries on a special prosecutor or an independent prosecutor when he really isn’t under control of the executive branch, which is the proper branch to deal with criminal matters,” he said.