Strickland’s choice of AG ensures mature leadership

When Gov. Ted Strickland listed “maturity” as one of the qualities he was looking for in the successor to former embattled Attorney General Marc Dann, the message was clear: The state of Ohio needs a grown up as its chief lawyer.

“Maturity, experience, management ability — those certainly are criteria that I think are essential, especially now,” Strickland, a Democrat, said on May 14, the day that Dann, a Democrat from Liberty Township, resigned as attorney general. “We need someone who can provide confidence to the many, many employees of the attorney general’s office, someone who is recognized as a person of great integrity.”

Given that Dann quit in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal that not only rocked the office, but resulted in his admitting to having an affair with his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, the words the governor used in talking about a successor were poignant.

Indeed, it seemed that he had set the bar so high, it was going to be difficult to find someone who could clear it.

On Wednesday, however, the governor came through with the appointment of Nancy Hardin Rogers, the dean of Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, as the interim attorney general. She will serve until the Nov. 4 general election when voters elect a replacement for Dann. Rogers will then return to her position at Ohio State.

Well received

The positive reaction from both Republicans and Democrats, including Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, a Republican, should give the new AG the impetus to implement work rules and procedures that will restore the professionalism in the executive suite lost as a result of Dann’s own behavior and the behavior of other top officials, such as Anthony Gutierrez, the former head of General Services.

Gutierrez was accused by two of his employees, Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout, of sexually harassing them. He was fired following an internal investigation, as was Leo Jennings III, Dann’s communications director. Jennings was accused of trying to interfere with the investigation.

Both men were friends of Dann’s from the Mahoning Valley.

Attorney General Rogers struck the right note in her acceptance remarks, saying that all employees have a right to be treated with dignity, respect and professionalism.

Her r sum reflects a commitment to hard work and a desire to excel. After graduating from Yale Law School, she served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Thomas D. Lambros, whose name adorns the federal courthouse in Youngstown, was a staff lawyer for the Cleveland Legal Aid Society, and then joined the faculty of Ohio State’s law school in 1976.

Rogers became dean of the school in 2001.

In his announcement of her appointment, the governor said “She is a person of great accomplishment who is widely admired by her colleagues.” He added she will bring “dignity, professionalism and focus” to the attorney general’s office and will work to “right the ship” over the next six months.

Given that there are ongoing investigations into the operation of the office during Dann’s 14-month tenure, Rogers will need to use all her skills to ensure that the staff isn’t distracted from the important work the attorney general’s office does.