News Summary

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann used his campaign fund for items big and small last year — everything from $33,753 in security equipment and $1,170 for lawn and pool work at his house to a 35-cent charge at a McDonald's in Ravenna.

Auditors expect to begin a routine audit of Dann's 2007 campaign contributions and expenditures this week, according to Curt Mayhew, campaign finance administrator for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

It comes less than a month after Dann's longtime campaign treasurer, Bruce Lev, resigned.

"It's just time and I think Marc needed somebody who knew him better and needed someone who could help him more," said Lev, who had been Dann's treasurer since he first ran for the Ohio Senate in 2000. He noted his resignation had nothing to do with the sexual harassment scandal in Dann's office.

The audit also coincides with an effort by Dann's campaign to address past sloppy practices with his campaign fund. Dann had been mistakenly using the campaign debit card for noncampaign expenses, collecting receipts and then leaving it up to campaign and state staffers to sort out, according to a spokesman.

Last year, Dann wrote four checks totaling $4,299.86 to his campaign as reimbursement for charges he improperly put on the campaign debit card.

"Sometimes he pulled out the campaign card for stuff that wasn't campaign stuff or state business. And it was by mistake. And (in) the regular compliance done by the campaign, they caught the mistake and he writes checks to cover those amounts for the campaign," said Dann for Ohio spokesman Jason Stanford.

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