By Marc Kovac

Record-Courier Capital Bureau

COLUMBUS -- Ending days of defiance, beleaguered Attorney General Marc Dann finally heeded continued calls for his resignation and stepped down Wednesday, telling reporters it was the only way for the office to continue its work without distraction.

"Twelve days ago, I came before you to admit mistakes, to take responsibility, to announce steps towards giving the office of Attorney General an administrative backbone worthy of the great legal work that we were doing in the office," he said. "I sincerely viewed it as my fiduciary responsibility to fix the problems on my watch, especially as it concerned my own actions."

He added, "Unfortunately, it is now clear that the last step I must take to fix these problems is to resign as attorney general, effective immediately. It is my belief that this will preserve the great work being done by the office of the attorney general."

Dann spoke with Gov. Ted Strickland on one side and one of his daughters on the other, from the governor's Statehouse Cabinet Room.

The announcement capped two whirlwind days of resignation rumors and came more than a week after he admitted cronyism in his office's hiring practices, said he was not adequately prepared for his elected position, apologized for carrying on an affair with an individual he would not name and vowed to clean up the tarnished image of his administration.

In his official resignation letter to Strickland, he wrote, "My conduct has caused the creation of a firestorm of negative publicity that has reached a point where it is preventing the great professionals in the office from doing their important work. This is not an acceptable state of affairs."

Dann praised the work the attorney general's office has accomplished during his administration, touting its aggressive work against predatory lenders, its pursuit of environmental and consumer protection cases and its efforts to make health-care more accessible and affordable to consumers.

"The vast majority of the 1,400 employees at the attorney general's office have been doing outstanding nationally recognized work," he said. "I thank them for the incredible service over the past 17 months. They deserve both to be recognized and to continue their work without the distraction that the political situation that I find myself in has caused." Dann left the press conference without taking questions and headed back to his home in Youngstown.

"It is now my highest priority to focus on my family," he said, one daughter at his side. "... I'm anxious to get home to my wife (and other children)... But I want to thank the people of Ohio for giving me the opportunity to serve in this great office."

In his letter to Strickland, he quoted the "words of another Marc, Marc Anthony, in his eulogy for the assassinated Caesar: 'The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.' These words are sad, but I believe true."