An advisory panel appointed by Dann's temporary successor, Nancy H. Rogers, zeroed in on a few of the areas that went awry during Dann's 17 months in office. The panel didn't delve into allegations of wrongdoing, leaving such transgressions for the Ohio inspector general and other investigators with ongoing inquiries.

Rather, Rogers' panel, headed by retired federal Judge Robert M. Duncan, proposed a few policy changes that were unmistakably related to problems during Dann's term. Among the recommendations:

• Managers in the office should be prohibited from dating their subordinates, even if the relationship is consensual.

Dann's term was marked by several office relationships, including Dann's own admitted extramarital affair with his scheduler.

• The office's equal-employment officer should be made independent of the human-resources department.

During Dann's term, two employees lodged complaints of sexual harassment with the equal-employment officer, who they said tried to stymie them. Office e-mails described confusion about how to handle the women's complaints.

• Managers should undergo sexual-harassment training at least once every four years.

The general-services manager who was found to have sexually harassed the two subordinates, Anthony Gutierrez, never had formal harassment training, according to his personnel file.

• Only licensed Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification officers should be allowed to carry firearms on the job.

At least two security aides to Dann carried loaded weapons on state property, and a top-ranking lawyer in the office had requested permission to do so.

Rogers noted that her office already has implemented some of the recommendations. She wrote that the findings "will go a long way toward resolving any remaining doubts among the public."

Dann, now an attorney in private practice, said the report acknowledged areas in which his administration made improvements. Those include a more open process for selecting outside lawyers who do work on contract, higher pay and more legal training for lawyers in the office, and more diversity among employees.

"With a few obvious exceptions, I am proud of that body of work," Dann wrote in an e-mail.

jnash@dispatch.com