Dann is gone

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Here's Marc Dann's statement:

Twelve days ago I came before you to admit mistakes, to take responsibility, and to announce steps towards giving the office of attorney general an administrative backbone worthy of the great legal work that we were doing in this office.

I sincerely viewed it as my fiduciary responsibility to fix the problems on my watch, especially as it concerned my own actions.

Unfortunately it is now clear that the last step I must take to fix these problems is to resign as attorney general effective immediately.

It is my belief that this will preserve the great work being done by the office of attorney general.
We must continue to make effective use of Ohio’s law enforcement, consumer protection and bank regulatory machinery to aggressively take on predatory lenders and their co-conspirators who have decimated the neighborhoods of our state.

We must continue to bring environmental and consumer protection cases in this state to make sure that the quality of life is second to none here in Ohio and that law abiding businesses are protected.

And we must continue to make nonprofit health care institutions more accountable and health care more accessible to uninsured Ohioans.

And we must continue to save the state money in the office of attorney general, by maintaining an objective and nonpolitical process for assigning legal work both inside and outside the office.
It has been my priority over the past few weeks to try to restore those priorities to the forefront of the office’s work, and the vast majority of the 1,400 employees of the attorney general’s office have been doing outstanding, nationally recognized work.

I thank them for the incredible service over the past 17 months.

They deserve both to be recognized and to continue their work without the distractions that the political situation that I find myself in has caused them.

It is now clear to me that the only way to protect these priorities for the office of attorney general and for the people of Ohio is to remove myself from this situation.

It is now my highest priority to focus on my family.

I want to thank my daughter, Mia, for being here with me today.

And I’m anxious to get home to my wife, and my son, Charlie.

My daughter Jessie unfortunately is on her class trip to Washington so I won’t get to see her until Friday.

But I want to thank the people of Ohio for giving me the opportunity to serve in this great office.

Thank you.

Here's Gov. Strickland's statement:

“Attorney General Marc Dann did the honorable thing by resigning today,” Governor Strickland said. “This decision will allow the important work of the Attorney General’s office to continue without the distraction caused by recent events.”

“Today is a sad day in many ways. I think it is appropriate for us all to acknowledge the personal pain and anguish that these events have caused the Attorney General, his family members, his staff and others.”

“Marc has accomplished much during the relatively short time he has occupied the office of Attorney General. The Attorney General and his professional staff have done meaningful work to promote environmental and consumer protection, foreclosure prevention, and health care accessibility.”

“I’m hopeful that today’s announcement will allow the professional staff at the Attorney General’s office to continue the important work in these and other areas. As I have said in the past, the office of the Attorney General is more important than any one person because in many cases it is all that stands between the people and the powerful.”