Cordray says he’ll keep Youngstown office open

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Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray

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Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann

By David Skolnick

YOUNGSTOWN — Despite a change in leadership, the Ohio attorney general’s satellite office in downtown Youngstown is staying open.

Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat from Grove City, Ohio, said he will keep the office at 20 Federal Place, opened in July 2007 by then-Attorney General Marc Dann.

Dann, a Democrat from Liberty, had promised during the 2006 attorney general campaign that he would open a satellite office in the Mahoning Valley.

There are 21 employees with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and 15 other attorney general workers in a variety of capacities at the downtown office at the former Phar-Mor Centre at 20 W. Federal St.

Cordray said he visited the Youngstown office Monday to “reassure the employees” that the office isn’t closing.

“It makes sense for the attorney general to be somewhat decentralized” from Columbus, he said.

The other attorney general satellite offices are in Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati.

The future of the Youngstown office was among the topics discussed Monday during a 30-minute interview Cordray had Monday with Vindicator writers and editors.

Elected in November 2006 as state treasurer, Cordray won the race for the vacant attorney general’s seat two years later. Accused of mismanaging the office, Dann resigned the position under pressure in May 2008. After Dann’s resignation, Gov. Ted Strickland appointed Nancy Rogers to serve as interim attorney general.

“There’s a lot of attention I’m paying to morale issues and emphasizing the professionalism of the office,” Cordray said.

An internal AG investigation stated morale under Dann was poor and there was a severe lack of professionalism.

Cordray complimented Dann for some of his policies.

Besides the satellite offices, Cordray said Dann did a good job addressing the issue of predatory mortgage lending and creating a program to have lawyers at the AG’s office provide legal help to county prosecutors, particularly those in smaller counties, with difficult cases.

“There are a few things” Dann did well, Cordray said.

But he was quick to say, “I’m not coming here to be a big defender of Marc Dann.”

Cordray said he won’t get involved in the 2010 Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat. The two leading Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Cordray said he doesn’t plan to endorse either.

“They both have left me alone,” he said. “They know I’m friends with both.”

Cordray said he made a commitment during last year’s campaign that he’d finish out Dann’s unexpired term and run for re-election as attorney general in 2010.

When asked if he would have considered running for the Senate seat if he didn’t just switch elected positions, Cordray said, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

skolnick@vindy.com