Atty Gen: Dann (D) Responds

The following reply by Attorney General candidate State Sen. Marc Dann (D-Youngstown) to my open letter was forwarded to me today by Alex Goepfert, a Dann press staffer who has recently taken on responsibility for coordinating online communications:

Dear Ohio Progressives, Bloggers, and Grassroots Democrats,

Recently, I read several posts reaching out and encouraging me to increase my dialogue with the progressive community. I enthusiastically welcome this conversation and I want to take a moment to respond.

We face a critical battle in this election. Betty Montgomery is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the GOP’s pay to play culture. With Jim Petro gone, she is the most corrupt candidate on the ballot.

Betty Montgomery’s corruption comes with a shocking price tag for Ohio taxpayers. According to independent auditors, if the State Insurance Fund of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation had been properly invested, “it would have realized an annualized return of 8.1% per year and would be nearly $1 billion greater in value than it is today.”

That is the stunning price of Betty Montgomery’s incompetence and appalling lack of oversight.

The stakes of this race for Attorney General are enormous. Big oil and drug companies, credit card issuers, predatory lenders, and other opponents of change have no greater friend than Betty Montgomery. She is the ultimate champion of the status quo. As long as Betty Montgomery continues to shuffle from office to office, ordinary Ohioans will be locked out and ignored.

I promise you, I will hold Betty Montgomery’s feet to the fire each and every day from now until November 7th. I will take on the tough fights necessary to pry the Attorney General’s office out of the hands of corrupt campaign contributors and narrow-minded special interests. I am willing to take on these fights alone, as I have in the past. But I’d much rather stand with the Democratic Party and with all of you.

In this spirit, I look forward to a productive dialogue with the progressive community. You’ll be hearing more from me and from my campaign. For my part, I welcome your ideas, your energy, and your support. The stakes are high for all of us. Let’s get to work.

Sincerely,

Marc Dann