New Ohio attorney general keeps her eye on ethics

By Marc Kovac

The chief operation officer under Marc Dann has resigned.

COLUMBUS — The state’s new attorney general moved quickly to eliminate any real or perceived conflicts of interest, removing herself from involvement in Ohio State University issues and ceasing special counsel appointments to firms where her daughter and husband work.

Nancy Rogers also named a new first assistant attorney general, while a couple of other upper-level employees from former officeholder Marc Dann’s administration have submitted their resignations.

Rogers, who assumed her duties last week, submitted a five-point statement Tuesday to the Ohio Ethics Commission “in order to resolve both direct conflicts and also any appearance of conflicts of interest with respect to Ohio State University and my husband’s and daughter’s law firms.”

Those steps included naming Sheryl Creed Maxfield as first assistant attorney general. According to the statement, Maxfield has worked in the attorney general’s office for two dozen years.

Former first assistant Tom Winters, who briefly headed the office between Dann’s resignation and Rogers’ appointment, has remained on staff as chief deputy attorney general.

Rogers added she will stop any new special counsel appointments with the law firms of Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease — where Rogers’ husband, Douglas, practices — and Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, where her daughter, Jill Spiker, practices.

Joyce Chapple, chief operating officer under Dann, submitted her resignation, effective June 27.

Spokesman Jim Gravelle said she was not asked to resign; rather, she is completing negotiations for an undisclosed position elsewhere.

“I have been offered an outstanding opportunity which I cannot refuse,” Chapple wrote to Rogers in announcing her decision. “... It is very unfortunate that the acts of a few people have placed a dark cloud over the many accomplishments that have taken place in the past 17 months.”

She later added, “... The vast majority of the policies and procedures were inherited on Jan. 8, 2007, from previous administrations. Given the size of this organization, it is virtually impossible for any team, within 17 months, to identify and correct every potential area where a problem/issue could arise.”

Additionally, Mike Deemer, chief deputy attorney general for government affairs, will leave his position at the end of the week to accept another in Gov. Ted Strickland’s office, Gravelle said.

Keith Dailey, Strickland’s spokesman, said Deemer will serve as an executive assistant, a lead policy staff position managing economic development issues for the governor.

mkovac@dixcom.com