Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann ran for office on a pledge to give state contracts only to attorneys who agree to limit their campaign contributions to him. Turns out that was just a cheap publicity stunt.
Well over half the lawyers required to limit their campaign contributions to Attorney General Marc Dann in order to qualify for state work didn't fill out the required paperwork until this month, long after the office began doling out contracts, according to a review by The Associated Press. (Plain Dealer)
In fact, Dann's office didn't even bother to collect the "agreements" until they started getting public scrutiny.
Fifty of the affidavits by outside lawyers who have landed state legal work came in on a single day, Sept. 12, after Dann's office faced scrutiny from lawmakers over two of the contracts. Twenty-nine others were submitted after a records request was made by The Associated Press, many bearing the marks of fax machines from around the country.
Ben Espy, an executive attorney general who oversees outside legal contracts for Dann, conceded that the office went out and collected the affidavits after public interest arose.
