Article: GOP trumpets Sen. Dann’s tardy report of gift

GOP trumpets Sen. Dann’s tardy report of gift
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Joe Hallett
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A Youngstown-area Democrat who has battered Gov. Bob Taft for ethical failures lives in a glass house, according to Ohio GOP Chairman Robert T. Bennett.
State Sen. Marc Dann, who announced Monday that he is a candidate for attorney general, failed to disclose a gift from a lobbying group, an error similar to Taft’s failure to disclose dozens of free golf outings, Bennett said.
"Marc Dann is one of the biggest hypocrites in state government," Bennett said in a statement.
Dann, however, said the incidents were not comparable, adding that he promptly corrected his oversight — a statement supported yesterday by Ohio legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe.
"Bob Taft broke the rules and I didn’t; it’s that simple," Dann said.
Bennett released an e-mail dated June 3 from Kris Long, chief of staff for Senate Democrats, to Bledsoe noting that Dann’s 2004 financial disclosure statement "inadvertently omitted" the gift of a $168 jacket from ABATE, an advocacy group for motorcycle riders. ABATE gave the jacket to Dann early in 2004 at a Columbus dinner in which it named him "legislator of the year."
State public officials must report any gift in excess of $75, but Dann’s required April 15, 2005, ethics statement made no mention of the jacket.
Dann has been the leading Democratic critic of Taft since early April when news broke of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation investment scandal involving Maumee rare-coin dealer Thomas W. Noe, a generous contributor to Taft’s campaigns.
When Taft pleaded no contest Aug. 18 and was found guilty of four misdemeanor charges in connection with failing to report 52 free golf outings, Dann said, "If he were truly sorry, he would have admitted what he did wrong and pleaded guilty."
In his statement, Bennett referred to Dann’s ethics filing omission and to Taft and said, "That’s an oversight that led to a misdemeanor conviction of a sitting public official, but Senator Dann quietly amended his while pointing a hypocritical finger at everyone else."
Dann said state law permits legislators to amend their ethics reports when an omission is discovered and that Taft only revealed the golf outings in July after being forced to do so by continuing revelations in the media. By that time, it was too late for Taft to legally amend his ethics filing.
"I didn’t commit a crime like Taft did," Dann said. "This was a self-reporting change."
Bledsoe agreed. He said ABATE reported giving the jacket to Dann on its ethics form but failed its legal obligation to notify Dann that he had received a gift worth more than $75 and therefore was required to report it. Bledsoe said he noticed the discrepancy when he compared ABATE’s filing with Dann’s and immediately notified Dann’s office.
"He took full responsibility and asked to amend his financial disclosure statement," Bledsoe said. "I have to show that he knowingly failed to disclose and in my analysis of the fact pattern I didn’t see anything to suggest that. This is a lot different than 52 golf outings."
jhallett@dispatch.com

Senator Dann didn't quash the investigation into STRS by the Inspector General, Governor Taft did- to protect Petro, Montgomery, and a whole bunch of players at STRS. John, a Proud CORE member
ORC 3307.15 - not just a wish, IT'S THE LAW!