Marc Dann Would Be Bragging Today: Anheuser-Busch Corks Energy Drink Business

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ohio was among several states that challenged the beverage industry for marketing alcohol-laced caffeinated energy drinks to young people. Today, St. Louis-based brewing giant Anheuser-Busch made a deal with the attorney generals and said it will no longer produce "Tilt," "Bud Extra," or any other alcoholic energy drinks. Marc Dann was in at the start of the investigation -- he wasn't widely seen as a rat yet -- but didn't last in office to the end. And nobody in the Ohio AG's office even bothered to put up a press release June 26 to take note of Anheuser-Busch's surrender.

In New York, Democrat Andrew Cuomo was spreading the news:

"Drinking is not a sport, a race, or an endurance test. Adding alcohol to energy drinks sends exactly the wrong message about responsible drinking, most especially to young people. This agreement keeps these dangerous products off our shelves and makes it clear that targeting underage consumers with advertisements for alcohol will not be tolerated."

According to the AGs who challenged the beverage makers, the caffeinated alcoholic drinks taste and resemble popular non-alcoholic drinks. The AGs contend the drinks have caught on "because aggressive marketing campaigns reinforce the common misconception that the caffeine in the drinks will counteract the effects of the alcohol."

Stop The Presses: Before Leaving, Ohio AG Dann Preserved Print Media Advertising Monopoly

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Two weeks before scandal drove Marc Dann from office on May 14, Ohio's former attorney general issued a formal legal opinion that drew a distinct boundary between digital and print media. He said the state's growing crop of online publications are not eligible for some forms of official legal advertising. The seven-page decision preserved a financial plum for Old Media print newspapers and closed off a potential revenue source for New Media. Print continues to have a monopoly on legal ads after Dann's declaration that, "An online version of a newspaper . . . is not a 'newspaper of general circulation' for the purpose of notice by publication . . ." The complete text of the seven-page opinion is available here.

Dann's April 30 ruling was in response to a question by Betsy Houchen, executive director of the Ohio Board of Nursing, which regulates the nursing profession. Houchen's inquiry sought to learn if state law would allow the nursing board to notify license holders of disciplinary hearings through means other than service by mail or legal ads in print publications. Dann said no, and found the Internet was different than print, though he noted that newspapers have online versions.

"Newspapers vary in their online offerings. Some sites are free for all users to view, while others may require payment of an online subscription fee or maintenance of an existing subscription to the print edition of the newspaper. Newspapers often reformat print editions for their web sites. Online newspapers typically present a series of links to various news stories or links to pages of general news topics that then provide links to various news articles.

"In addition to the typical series of links most newspapers use on their websites, there are still other ways newspapers make content available to their readers. For instances, some of Ohio's newspapers offer what they call an 'electronic edition' or 'digital edition,' which has an appearance and format very similar to the hard copy, printed edition, but is viewed and read electronically rather than in hard copy, and is accessed in a number of ways depending upon the newspaper. With the wide range of possibilities for offering newspapers online, the only trait common to all online newspaper editions is their accessibility through the Internet."

In Ohio, the legal ads must appear in publications with at least 50% of the readership as paying customers. They also have to have second class mailing privileges via the U.S. Postal Service. Dann said the Internet creates free distribution and online publications don't transmit content using snail mail. He said, "An online version of a newspaper at a minimum fails to meet these two requirements."

Bottomline: Old technology reaps the money from legal ads.

A Boomlet For Chandra? Cincinnati Enquirer Editor Says He's The Man

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Enquirer's editorial page editor Dave Wells is pointing out his newspaper endorsed Subodh Chandra in the 2006 Democratic primary for Ohio attorney general. Wells says Gov. Ted Strickland should seriously consider appointing Chandra to the office now that Marc Dann is gone and selling dishes over the Internet in Youngstown. Wells says Chandra is smart and competent and ready for the job. He's right. Here's the Enquirer's editorial (pdf) from two years ago. It is worth re-reading. The Enquirer wrote, "Chandra is one of the most impressive statewide candidates Ohio Democrats have produced in years."

Also, Republican Betty Montgomery has issued a statement saying that she is not interested in seeking the office again. Montgomery served as AG from 1995 through 2003. She was state auditor for four years, then tried to reclaim the office in 2006 and was upset by Marc Dann. Matt Hurley at Weapons of Mass Discussion found Montgomery's statement on the Enquirer's website in a story about Dann's resignation.

Ohio Attorney General's Official Web Site: All Mentions of Marc Dann Now Erased; He's Busy Peddling Cups And Saucers

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The cyber exorcists were active and they have cleansed the State of Ohio's Web site. Marc Dann's name and picture have been been banished less than 24 hours after his resignation as attorney general. Dann is reportedly going to be selling Fiestaware while he puts his professional and personal life back together. Jeff Coryell at Ohio Daily Blog spotted that tidbit in today's Vindicator.

Subodh Chandra For Ohio Attorney General: Why Isn't He High On The List?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The former federal prosecutor from Cleveland ran for the Democratic nomination against the disgraced Marc Dann and received nearly 200,000 votes in the 2006 primary. He was the outsider challenging Dann, an incumbent state senator. The party endorsed Dann -- a huge mistake. Chandra's Web site from that campaign is still up and functioning and can be seen here. It contains an enormous amount of information about Chandra. Take a moment to check it out. In 2006, some Dems thought Dann's name -- more anglicized -- made him a stronger candidate. That was pre-Obama thinking and should be inoperative ( Nixon era word); now they certainly know that unfamiliar-sounding names can draw huge numbers of votes. Chandra is the son of immigrants, an Obama delegate this year, and he headed Cleveland's law department before seeking statewide office. All his qualifications are available online (see above) and there has never been a hint of scandal. He was vetted by the Justice Department when he worked as an assistant U.S. attorney handling sensitive cases like medical fraud.

Chandra (pronounced chun-dra) may be just the kind of fresh face Ohio Democrats need to put the Dann scandal in the crypt.

Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann Resigns: How Long Before The State Scrubs Its Website Clean?

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- He's gone. But this is still up on the official State of Ohio Web site. Bet it is changed by tomorrow at the latest. Sooner would be even better. All mentions of the shameful Dann era are headed for the dump. Too bad that Youngstown has to be linked to the scoundrel. Dann no doubt thought he was promoting the city. He wound up embarrassing the town. The people of Youngstown deserved far better.

Plain Dealer Reports: Ohio AG Marc Dann To Resign, Telling Staff Today

UPDATE -- The Akron Beacon Journal says Dann's resignation won't be today. The news reports are now being described as "premature."

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- The Plain Dealer says he's going to step down this afternoon. A source in Columbus who serves in the Ohio House and is close to Dann has confirmed the story for The Daily Bellwether. And the Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the attorney general has been meeting in his office with Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and working out terms for a resignation and departure from state government. Fisher -- who is No.2 to Gov. Ted Strickland -- served as attorney general from 1991 through 1995 and has knowledge of the inner workings of the office that Dann has held since early January 2007.

Another Dispatch Blast At Marc Dann: FBI Asked To Probe AG's Gambling Ties

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Finally, the phrase organized crime has surfaced. The report says a law enforcement task force in Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann's office has asked the FBI to investigate his possible connection to gambling interests. Details are scant, and more are likely to come out during the day. This is a sign the story seems to be moving beyond sex, office shenanigans and cronyism and into the realm of corrupt activities. It is unlikely Dann would be investigated by the FBI for throwing penny ante poker games on his patio in suburban Youngstown. Pure speculation: Perhaps a suspicion or allegation that gaming interests who want to put casinos, or slots and slot machine-style gambling machines in Ohio, exerted some kind of influence with Dann, or made some kind of overture or deal.

Columbus Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison: Marc Dann Aimed Threats Of 'Illicit Affairs' At Ohio's Editors

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- And it would have made quite a headline: Ohio's attorney general reportedly said he would spread rumors of sex scandals involving newsroom chiefs, sex scandals that would be false but damaging to reputations. The threat supposedly came after a Marc Dann staffer was reportedly seen at his condos in her "PJs," an outfit we now know was less than Friday casual. And it turned out Dann was boinking a female staffer, an accusation that he admitted is true. As for the editors, Marrison reports that Ohio's embattled attorney general "went so far as to threaten to fabricate allegations that newspaper editors who would report the story were also having illicit affairs." Marrison offers no other details. And I was unable to reach him when I phoned this afternoon to follow up on his eye-popping report. If Marrison really has the goods -- that Dann would actually consider smearing reputations to save his own skin and shut down journalists -- it sounds like the state's top lawyer and law enforcement official was treading close to blackmail, or extortion. It might be a path that state lawmakers might consider exploring as they weigh whether or not to impeach the attorney general.

Buckeye State Blog spotted the claim by the editor of Ohio's state capital newspaper. Marrison did not emphasize his tale about Dann -- he put it in the 17th paragraph of a 20-paragraph Sunday column. It was mainly about Dann's "fiery disposition" and the likelihood of retaliation and defiance by the attorney general, who was excommunicated Saturday by the Ohio Democratic Party.

As for Ohio editors having affairs: Who knows? Certainly, newsroom dalliances are not unknown. And was Marrison the specific target of Dann's threat to "fabricate allegations" that newspaper editors were shagging staffers? He doesn't say.

Marc Dann's New Spinmeister From Texas: GOP Says He Lands In Ohio With Wrinkled Ethics

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Republican State Leadership Committee, a national group that works to install GOP officeholders in state posts like attorney general, is already ripping Jason Stanford. He's the opposition researcher from Texas who has been hired by Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann -- Stanford is being paid by Dann's campaign fund. The Republicans claim Stanford "seems willing to say or do anything to win," and cites an unfolding Austin, TX., City Council flap over campaign contributions:

Stanford is named in a story about a complaint that alleges he was involved in potentially illegal campaign activity. You can see the most recent article from the Austin American Statesman right here. It’s an interesting article, and really hits upon the critical issue of transparency in public life. A second article, also from the Austin American Statesman quotes Mr. Stanford extolling the virtues of transparency when it comes to campaign communications….hmmm, do we think this is the same Jason Stanford….kind of like Marc Dann who pledged to bring back government Ohioans could be proud of again…you can see how they might work well together."

The Republicans also say that Stanford's Web site offers references for his political consulting/oppo research firm, and that some of the references include phone numbers to the Capitol Hill offices of House employees. Of course, House rules say those phones should only be used for official business. Click here for a link to Stanford's references. You can even find the official House e-mail address to a top aide of the Democratic Majority Leader. Two months ago, U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-OH-01, had to apologize after an aide used the House e-mail network to recruit campaign workers.

Kansas' Dem AG Resigned 6 Months Ago In Sex Scandal: Ohio Native Gov. Kathleen Sebelius Helped Push Him Out

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Democratic attorney general of Kansas, Paul Morrison, resigned last December after a female aide with whom he had an extramarital romantic relationship filed federal sexual harassment charges. The Ohio angle: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Cincinnati native and potential Obama vice presidential running mate, wanted the AG out. Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan. A Kansas source who was "very close to the story" wrote The Daily Bellwether and said the attorney general resigned when Sebelius "essentially kicked him to the curb . . ." The source added there were "some fascinating parallels" between the Kansas and Ohio scandals.

And while the events that unfolded in the Sunflower State a half year ago aren't quite the same as the uproar now enveloping Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann, there are similarities. Especially Morrison's insistence at first that he would not resign, which sounds like Dann's vow to stay despite increasing pressure to step aside.

Sebelius took a dim view of Morrison's consensual sexual affair with one of his subordinates, and called for his resignation if the allegations were true. Morrison was married with three kids. The attorney general admitted the relationship, which took place while he was a county district attorney -- an office he held before switching from the Republican Party to run statewide as a Democrat. "Certainly, if any of the allegations turn out to be true, I think yes," Sebelius said about a resignation at the time. "One deals with his conduct as an attorney in the DA's office. The other is as an employer. I think either one should trigger a resignation."

There is more background about the Kansas AG scandal in this MSNBC.com report.

Ohio Attorney General's Office Scandal: What Should We Call Marc Dann's Mess?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Daily Bellwether is partial to naming the scandal "Boinkgate." The word is somewhat alliterative of "Coingate." That corrupt investment in rare coins by imprisoned Republican operative Tom Noe brought Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann to prominence in the first place. Some have suggested "Pajamagate." But "Boinkgate" is more suggestive, and seems to have more impact in conjuring up Democrat Dann's libidinous activities with a significantly younger female who was on the AG's payroll. In this case, Ohio's top legal official has admitted boinking rather than banking, or investing, and the pajama angle has been replaced by "sweats." That creates the possibility of "pant, pant" -- implying overactive hormones, etc. But it just doesn't fit. So far, Dann's shenanigans and shabby management of his state office has not produced a signature moniker -- a shorthand description -- for the scandal that is causing such an uproar at the heart of state government. Monkey Business doesn't get it -- we have no pictures of Dann on a yacht of that name with an attractive blue jeans model curled up on his lap. So Monkey Business will always belong to former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart's libidinous escapades. Watergate is Richard Nixon's signature ethical lapse, and "gate" has become the modern suffix to hang on words to impart a scandalous character. Teapot Dome has Ohio roots, but the corruption of Warren G. Harding's 1920s presidential administration seems lost in the mists of this 21st Century. And "Dann-dome" just doesn't have the right ring, the right smell of nefariousness and naughty conduct that a sordid event in high political office demands. "Client-9" is so associated with Elliott Spitzer's shame that it probably has been copyrighted. There doesn't seem to be any way to affix a "client" tag to Dann.

Marc Dann's Jan. 7, 2007 Inaugural Address: I Will 'Adhere To' Highest Ethical Standards

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- His words -- which have a Mission Accomplished! flavor of insolent unreality -- certainly ring hollow today. The complete text of Marc Dann's swearing in day speech is here, and he preached and swathed himself in ethics: "The effort to eliminate corruption will continue in my own office where my staff and I will adopt and adhere to the highest possible ethical standards. I will then work with other officeholders, both Democrat and Republican, to extend those standards to every arm of the state and every community in Ohio. And, importantly, I will never hesitate to take immediate action if I learn those standards have been violated or the public trust has been abused by any public official of any party."

Of course, it now is quite clear he spoke only of possibility. And everyone sees that Dann neither adopted nor adhered to the highest ethical standards. Dann's use of the word "possible" in his inaugural address was a weasel word. Perhaps what we've witnessed -- Dann's sexual affair with a young female employee, the atmosphere that led to firings and resignations of top aides -- was impossible to avoid. He is, after all, an officeholder who preached standards to Ohio that he would not, or could not, apply to himself. The hollow and empty message of Dann's January 8, 2007 speech is also apparent in his pledge to bring ethics and high standards for public service to all Democrats and all Republicans, and to "every arm of the state and every community in Ohio."

But who today would listen, or want him around? Who would accept a lecture from Marc Dann about ethics and standards in government? Who today seriously values Ohio's Democratic attorney general as standard bearer against those who abuse the public trust?

11 Days Ago Marc Dann Had A Chance To Tell The Truth: Transcript Shows He Didn't

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio's Democratic Attorney General Marc Dann was under oath April 22 and testifying in a sexual harassment scandal when chief investigator Ben Espy asked a tough question. Had his office scheduler, a woman with whom he was suspected of having a romantic relationship, ever spent the night at his suburban Columbus apartment? The pad was Dann's home away from home in the Youngstown area, and there were rumors it may also have functioned as a lovenest. The record reveals Dann bristled and did not give a straight answer to Espy's question that day. Instead, Dann dodged, weaved and danced a little sidestep. He claimed didn't know the answer because he was hardly ever there. Turns out, that was not entirely true. Here's what the transcripts show:

"DANN -- You know, this is the kind of thing that I was talking about when we started. I mean, I'm just not going to allow this to be dragged into a -- transformed from a serious inquiry about sexual harassment complaints to a discussion of rumors and innuendo. And I don know, because I wasn't -- I was barely at the apartment.
ESPY -- Well, the reason -- I'm going to tell you the reason for the question.
DANN -- Sure.
ESPY -- It's not -- and I made it very clear in this investigation, I'm not the moral police, I'm not getting into relationships.
DANN -- (Witness nods head.)
ESPY -- The question was asked in the context of her being seen early in the morning there.
DANN -- She was there early in the morning, and she was there in the evening, I can tell you that.
ESPY -- The question is whether or not that's a carryover from staying overnight and leaving or coming over in the morning.
DANN -- There were many times she came at night to drop off schedules. She knew my schedule. Sometimes I didn't get there until 9:00 or 10:00. Many mornings I left early, like, 5:00, 6:00, even or 4:30 occasionally. I can remember one occasion when she came early to make sure I had the briefing material I needed. It wasn't so much the schedule, Ben, as it was the -- as it was the backup. You see the backup I get every day.
ESPY -- Right. Briefings you mean?
DANN -- Yeah, the briefing material. Those are the kinds of things. Oftentimes, because she had to rely on other people throughout the office, they simply didn't get it to her in time to compile it and get it to me in a reasonable hour. So I'm heading north in the morning from Dublin. or oftentimes west, without going back to the State Office Tower first, it made sense for her to do that.
ESPY -- Well, I've seen your schedule, which I don't know how you do it. But I've seen your schedule. Some of these questions were raised, innuendo were raised. We were trying to separate fact from fiction.
DANN -- Right.
ESPY -- So I think some of these questions had to be asked. But I know the scope of this investigation.
DANN -- Sure."

But three days ago, Dann changed his story. He returned for more questioning on April 30. He admitted scheduler Jessica Utovich had spent the night. Here's the testimony from that day:

"ESPY -- The question on Line 18 was: Do you ever recall her ever staying overnight at the apartment?
DANN -- Right. And I said at the end I didn't know, I was barely at the apartment, before you move on to another question. And although the transcript doesn't reflect it, I felt like I didn't get a chance to complete my answer at the time, and I wanted to complete the answer.
ESPY -- Go ahead.
DANN -- Although I was infrequently at the apartment, I was aware that she stayed overnight; however, I want to be clear that she did not stay overnight on September 10th, 2007.
ESPY -- You indicated that you were aware she did stay overnight?
DANN -- Yes.
ESPY -- Do you know what was the occasion?
DANN -- You know, I have knowledge that she stayed overnight. What I don't want to do is allow this serious investigation about allegations of sexual harassment be transformed into something that is about rumor and innuendo. And so there are a variety of reasons but I -- I don't think it adds any value to your investigation to respond."

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann Admits Affair: A Democrat Who Must Quickly Resign

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The admission that he broke his marital vow is here. But Marc Dann's unfaithful behavior is a sign of deeper character flaws. He has the heart not of a peoples' champion, but of a coalpit -- a lightless, dank coalpit. He admits he lacks both wisdom and a moral compass. He is vain and unfit, and ran an office inebriated by hypocrisy. There will be no turning away the wrath aimed at the man who placed hypocrisy in public service -- witness the rat-killing that came via resignations and firings -- ahead of complete and total honesty. He should be lost to shame for playing lurid tricks on the citizens of this state. That is now clear as a sunbeam. And his tedious and insipid remarks today at a press conference that he was not prepared for the office he won in November 2006 -- an office he sought and now says he did not expect to win -- means one thing: A fool and his office should soon be parted. He is a fraud, a poseur, a sneak. He is Ohio's accidental attorney general, a man who awoke one morning and found himself famous. Now, he is notorious. There is an old saying -- "to many, fame comes too late." For Ohio's 46-year-old attorney general, it came too soon. He squandered everything. And what is the reward for those who put their faith in Marc Dann? To see everything, all the evidence of things previously not seen. The Democrats of Ohio should well remember the words from Matthew XV.14, "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Ohio GOP Now In Bizzyblog's Marc Dann Cover-Up: Doesn't Describe AG As Democrat

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- This item appears on State of the Union today, and it doesn't mention that Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann is a Democrat. Apparently, the Ohio Republican Party thinks the allegations outweigh Dann's party affiliation. Tom Blumer at Bizzyblog has been hammering the media for leaving out Dann's party ID in news stories. He views it as a plot to protect Dems in scandal. What's his explanation for the Republican Party's omission? Perhaps Mr. Blumer has launched a pointless crusade and an empty attack. The bias he is so concerned about seems to be a non-issue even among Republicans.

Bizzyblog's Mr. Blumer And Ohio Media's Collective Amnesia: His Diagnosis Of Democratic Bias Seems Offbase

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Bizzyblog proprietor Tom Blumer is worked up because news stories about Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann fail to routinely mention that Dann is a Democrat. Blumer doesn't seem to notice that news stories about President George W. Bush do not always mention that Bush is a Republican. In fact, here's a story about Bush from The Fort Leavenworth Lamp, and it doesn't mention that Bush is a Republican. The Lamp, by the way, is the official post newspaper published at the Kansas military reservation and prison. Its story about the president points out he was reducing the length of service tours in Iraq from 15 t0 12 months. Certainly, good news for the troops. Under Blumer's theory, it must have been a Pentagon/news media conspiracy to conceal Bush's political party affiliation from the very forces he leads as commander-in-chief.

Here's a Bloomberg news service story about Bush and a visit with South Korea's chief executive. Again, no mention of Bush's Republicanism. And the Voice of America carried a report about Bush's April 19 radio address attacking "opposition Democrats in Congress" without mentioning that Bush is a Republican. Then there is this April 18 report about Bush and the importance of his tax rebate/economic stimulus plan that also was aired on the government-owned VOA, and it also fails to mention President Bush is a Republican.

Is this really some kind of conspiracy? Is the government in on it, too? Or is it just the media not applying a party identifier where it is probably unnecessary? Undoubtedly the latter. Bizzyblog's Blumer seems to be contending that the media is intentionally omitting Marc Dann's Democratic tag in order to protect Ohio's attorney general in a sexual harassment scandal. The GOP-leaning conservative blogger -- a frequent media critic who contributes to Newsbusters -- writes that Ohio's reporters have collective amnesia about Dann's political affiliation:

"Strangely, this disease only appears to effect the left side of the brain, as Ohio's reporters usually have little trouble identifying the party of scandal plagued Republicans."

But it's clear that the media doesn't cling to party identifiers. It uses them most (as a Google or Yahoo search quickly will indicate, or a newsroom style book will reveal) in stories about legislative officeholders -- as in Rep. So-and-So, D-Lake Erie; or Sen. So-and-So, R-Ohio. And it uses them when candidates are contesting elections -- when Dann, a Democrat, ran against Betty Montgomery, a Republican. That is the common formula, or style. Governors and presidents and judges and cabinet members are not typically identified by their party when it's not around election time. Perhaps that style rule, or tradition, needs to be changed. No argument there. But it is hardly a conspiracy or "collective amnesia." And Tom Blumer's shot at the journalists covering the Dann scandal could be cheap. Many of them have dug, and dug deep for their stories. The Columbus Dispatch broke the story two weeks ago today. And if the Columbus Dispatch journalists had been inclined to protect Marc Dann out of party fealty, well, there wouldn't be any knowledge of the Dann scandal in the public domain. And if nobody knew about the scandal, Tom Blumer wouldn't have anything to fuss about.

Cincinnati Enquirer's Marc Dann Coverage: No News Of The AG Scandal Has Appeared In Its Pages

[UPDATED TUESDAY 4/15, 7:00 AM -- A story appeared in this morning's print edition on page B-2 of the metro section. It broke a week long black out, and was mostly an AP report about developments over the weekend in Columbus. It contained two quotes from Cincinnati-area lawmakers, State Sen. Eric Kearney and State Rep. Steve Driehaus, both Democrats like Attorney General Marc Dann. Apparently, no Republicans were available for comment, or the newspaper did not contact any members of the opposition party. Kearney said of Dann: "He's a little provocative, but in a good way. It sounds like somebody did something they really shouldn't have done." Driehaus, who is running for the OH-01 congressional seat, was quoted saying: "Any of us who are accused of wrongdoing, or any of our staff that are accused of wrongdoing, it is incumbent upon all of us as elected officials to cooperate in the investigation, and I would expect the attorney general to do that." That's the latest from Cincinnati's morning metro daily about sexual harassment allegations in the attorney general's office, allegations that are rattling state government.]

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio's third-largest newspaper, has not yet published or produced a news story in its print edition (as this search shows) about the sexual harassment scandal now enveloping Democratic Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann. The paper did print an editorial Saturday that calls for a special counsel on the case. But with what seems to be a news blackout in its printed pages, Enquirer customers might wonder: Why an opinion piece about something you have not told us anything about? If this isn't newsworthy, why bother with an editorial?

Meanwhile, Ohio's other major metropolitan dailies -- from Cleveland to Columbus, from Toledo to Dayton -- have been filled with stories all week. Here's a sample from the Akron Beacon Journal, the Columbus Dispatch, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, and the Dayton Daily News.

Cincinnati.com, the online version of the Enquirer, linked to some Dann news earlier this week in the Politics Extra political blog. But the material came from other newspapers around the state and was not produced by the Enquirer's staff. Some comments on the blog were critical, and one anonymous commenter noted:

"Isn't it embarrassing to the Enquirer that they have to link to other state newspapers so their readers can know what is happening with the state Attorney General's office? Seriously, I would like an answer to be posted from Enquirer management as to why they are failing on their watchdog role?"

Another wrote: "It appears the Enquirer is attempting to join Dann's cover up of pajamagate, or more accurately, the uncovering of it. Yo poor people in Cincinnati --this paper really keeps you in the dark. But at least you know how the Reds are doing."

And: "What is wrong with the Enquirer? I have to go to the Internet and read other Ohio paper just to know what is going on in this state. I wish someone could sue them for false-advertising for their failure to deliver the news."

Those comments appeared on the newspaper's own political blog -- so it is not censoring critics. But the comments show there is dissatisfaction with the Gannett Co. Inc. daily's extreme lack of news coverage about a major political scandal in Columbus. It may be that the newspaper is so thinly staffed it just doesn't have enough reporters to cover the Dann story. If that is the case, Gannett's budget cutting seems to have pared not just fat, but even the muscle that undergirds any meaty news coverage. Still, budget cuts cannot be entirely behind the Marc Dann news blackout in Ohio's third largest paper, the paper that serves the state's most populous metropolitan area. There are AP wire stories available for publication, along with copy from a story-exchange program set up last month with Ohio's other large dailies. None of that has made it into the Enquirer's pages.

Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann: No Public Funds Can Be Used In Tax Campaigns

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ohio's Democratic Atty. Gen. Marc Dann has issued an opinion that declares state law clearly bans any expenditure of "public funds to publish, distribute, or otherwise communicate information that supports or opposes the passage of a levy or bond issue . . ." Dann's office released the opinion Oct. 23 in response to a request from the prosecutor in Putnam County, who said the local health district wanted to solicit financial donations from townships in order to promote a campaign aimed at increasing property taxes. Dann said government entities are supposed to be neutral.

Officials are free to express opinions and campaign, but they can't use public money to push their views on voters.

His opinion comes at the same times as a major blow up in Hamilton County, where Republican Sheriff Simon Leis sent letters in the pay envelopes of 1,072 employees urging them to vote for a half-cent sales tax increase on Nov. 6. About $736 million would be raised for a new jail, drug treatment and rehab programs, and police patrols in high crime areas. Opponents of the tax hike said the sheriff had campaigned on the public dime. They sued in state court and lost, but obtained a settlement in federal court Wednesday that requires the sheriff to send anti-tax literature to county workers. The settlement appears to contradict Dann's view of Ohio law, which points out it is equally improper to use public facilities to distribute literature against the levy -- which is what the court settlement calls for.

Dann's opinion relies upon an Ohio statute, R.C. 9.03, that in so many words says the government must adhere to a policy of strict neutrality. The law states that public funds cannot be used on electioneering that "supports or opposes the nomination or election of a candidate for public office, the investigation, prosecution, or recall of a public official, or the passage of a levy or bond issue."

Dann said government agencies can disseminate information, but that it must simply explain the facts, not stray into promotion. An opinion issued by former Republican Attorney General Betty Montgomery explained the distinction.

"The general authority to expend funds and administer public programs, however, does not permit a public body or a public official to expend public funds specifically to attempt to persuade people to voter a particular way on a ballot issue -- that is, to say '"Vote Yes on Issue X.'

The full-text of Dann's 12-page opinion is here. And while it addresses Putnam County alone, it recaps what the rules are in Ohio.

Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann: Allied With New York's Cuomo In Facebook Probe

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann has confirmed his office is investigating Facebook, the social networking Website that is popular with students. The Daily Bellwether also has obtained the full-text of a letter from the New York attorney general's office that contends the site is used by sexual predators to find child victims, or to recruit Facebook users for porno films. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's six-page letter (pdf) to Facebook executives was timed to coincide with Dann's disclosure in Ohio. Cuomo said undercover investigators had discovered inappropriate content and hardcore pornography.

From Cuomo's letter:

"Perhaps, most alarmingly, Facebook ignored several -- and repeated -- complaints from our undercover investigators concerning persons who made inappropriate advances to underage users. The OAG made these complaints to Facebook both as underage users as well as parents of underage users.

"For instance, on August 30, an OAG investigator created a profile for a fourteen-year-old female high school student from New York. Approximately a week later, she received a Facebook message from a 24 year old man, asking 'do you have any nude pics.' The investigator lodged a complaint with Facebook as the student's mother from a Hotmail account complaining that her daughter was being solicited by older men. The next day, Facebook sent a response saying that Facebook 'will review the reported material and remove anything that violate our Terms of Use.' To date, however, Facebook has taken no further action, and the 24-year-old's profile is still available on the Facebook site."