For $1M, Ohioans deserve a show

Why the hurry to reach a settlement on the sexual harassment complaints filed by two female employees of the Ohio Attorney General’s office against their former boss, Anthony Gutierrez of Liberty Township? Why deprive the taxpayers, who will be footing the bill, of hearing all the juicy details in open court not only of Gutierrez’s hitting on Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout, but also of what went on in the condo he shared with Marc Dann and Leo Jennings?

Dann, also of Liberty Township, was elected attorney general in November 2006 and when he went to Columbus in January 2007 took his two buddies with him. They were given top jobs in the administration with lots of money and other perks. And, they took Dann’s extramarital affair with his then-scheduler, Jessica Utovich, to mean that piggish behavior with female employees was acceptable.

Details of what went on in what has been called “Dannimal House” are contained in the sworn testimony given by numerous individuals to investigators who conducted an internal probe of the accusations by Stankoski and Stout against Gutierrez.

And while Ohioans can read the reams and reams of testimony in most newspapers’ websites — in The Vindicator’s site, Vindy.com, a link to the Dann saga can be accessed by scrolling to the bottom of the home page — there’s nothing like hearing the words spoken by the cast of characters.

Law school dean

Dann’s successor as attorney general, Nancy Rogers, who has taken a leave of absence from her job as dean of Ohio State University’s law school, should rethink her decision to reach an agreement with the two women through mediation.

While Rogers, appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to serve as attorney general until November when voters will elect a replacement for Dann, can justify trying to come up with a quick resolution to this sordid tale, a full-blown court hearing would make even reporters for the National Enquirer blush. And that’s a good thing. Given the popularity of reality TV, having an overweight former attorney general on the stand answering questions about his love life would nudge the presidential election off the front pages.

Just read some of the testimony and it becomes clear that Zippergate should not be talked about behind closed doors, which will happen if mediation is pursued.

If Stankoski and Stout are going to walk away with $400,000 each — their lawyer will also earn a handsome fee — the public has a right to hear from them.

They should provide context to their sexual harassment allegations. There are questions that should be answered in public.

To Stankoski and Stout: Why do you think you were hired by the attorney general’s office? If you say it was because of your qualifications, could you point to anything in your r sum s that would make you a natural for employment in the state’s largest law firm?

To Stankoski: You said in your sworn statement during the internal investigation that Gutierrez began undressing you with his eyes from the time of your job interview. Given that his eyes are naturally buggy, could you explain how they moved over your body? You’ve also said that Gutierrez admitted that he wanted to “---- you.” Did you kick him in the crotch?

Wingman?

To Gutierrez: When you pushed for the hiring of Stankoski and Stout, did you do so because of their intellectual assets or their physical ones? Did their r sum s suggest to you that the attorney general’s office was getting two Rhodes scholars, or were they just eye candy for your personal satisfaction? When did you realize that you had been hired by Dann because he needed a wingman?

To Dann: Did you take campaign contributions from manufacturers of Tic Tac Fruit machines with the promise that you would allow them to keep operating in Ohio? Did you change your mind after being approached by owners of casinos? Do you like Karaoke? Did you have a nickname for your mistress, Jessica Utovich? When did it dawn on you that you were a ladies’ man? How much influence did your wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, have over your office? Was it proper for her to refer to your chief of staff, Ed Simpson, as “butthead?”