Ohio Gov. to State AG: resign or get thown out.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is calling for embattled state Attorney General Marc Dann to resign before some in the legislature move to throw him out.

Dann replied he intends to remain on the job.

Strickland's office Monday released a letter sent to the attorney general on Sunday night urging him to resign in the wake of an investigation into sexual harassment accusations that cost two ranking employees in his department their jobs. If Dann chooses to stay in office, the letter reads, Democratic members of the Ohio House of Representatives plan to quickly introduce a resolution seeking his impeachment.

"We no longer have even the most remote hope that you can continue to effectively serve as Attorney General and that is why we are asking for your resignation," states the letter, which was signed by Strickland, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, state Treasurer Richard Cordray and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Ohio House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio Senate Minority Leader Ray Miller, all Democrats, and state Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern also signed the letter.

Dann responded to the letter with a pledge to stay put. In a memo sent Monday to employees of his office, he wrote that he told Strickland "that he and all the other officeholders, as well as the members of the legislature, should continue to expect that we will continue to provide high-quality legal services to all of them."

"I am in the office, have rolled up my sleeves and am working on behalf of the people of the state of Ohio," Dann wrote.

House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, responded in a statement by calling for Dann's resignation and also assuring that any articles of impeachment "will be considered and reviewed in a thorough, thoughtful and fair process."

Husted said he has asked Rep. William Batchelder, R-Medina, to review the process and the "standards and merits necessary to move forward."

The letter from Strickland and other top Democrats arrived two days after the results of a major probe into the Attorney General's Office were made public. Sparked by the sexual harassment allegations from two workers against Anthony Gutierrez, Dann's general service director, the investigation led to the termination of Gutierrez and spokesman Leo Jennings. The probe also referenced "conditions (in the office) that contribute to a hostile work environment," for which Dann took responsibility.

Dann in a statement also acknowledged he carried on a romantic relationship with a member of his staff.

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