DaytonDailyNews.com

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. "After a year and a half of campaigning, it's a natural, understandable mistake."

Dann, a Democrat, will soon replace the debit card with a personal credit card, Stanford said. "A lot of times, he's doing things and he's just pulling out a card. He could be in New York City on state business, he pulls out a card. There are people who take all his receipts and sort it out later. And this will make it easier for everyone."

When Dann filed his annual report in January, he disclosed that he used his campaign fund to pay for apartments in Columbus that he and two staffers used, a leased car parked at his house, a trip on the state plane, and mileage reimbursement for use of his state-owned SUV for political purposes.

The Ohio Republican Party in February said it was considering filing a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission against Dann for using his campaign account for incidentals such as fast food and for the home security system. So far, though, the Republicans haven't followed through on the threat.

Dann disclosed $52,961 in travel expenses on his 2007 financial disclosure statement, including $28,170 paid by the state, $12,297 paid by his campaign, and $7,687 paid by the Democratic Attorneys General Association.

The campaign also paid $268.80 for an airline ticket for Dann's then-scheduler, Jessica Utovich, to fly to Washington, D.C., on June 8. Utovich, with whom Dann admitted having an affair, was trying to get her passport so that she could travel to Turkey with Dann on an international exchange trip later in the month.

First Assistant Attorney General Tom Winters cancelled Utovich's travel to Turkey.

The campaign fund paid $1,007 for Utovich and Dann's teenage son, Charlie, to fly to Dallas on July 18 for the Young Democrats of America 2007 convention.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1624 or lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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