“We are united in our passion and commitment to ensuring that all of our children lead meaningful, fulfilling lives. We are united in our resolve to end this horrible opioid epidemic. We are united in our desire to preserve and protect our magnificent Lake Erie. And we are united in our love for and our pride in this wonderful state, with its rich history, abundant natural wonders and good and decent people,” DeWine said. “I will be governor for all the people of the state of Ohio and I’ll remember each and every day that I am their servant.”
He pledged to invest in programs to help at-risk children and work in partnership with local governments.
“For much of what we will do, we will not see the results during the life of this administration, nor in some cases in our lifetime, yet we will do these things nonetheless, grounded in the faith and grounded in the hope that we can change the future,” he said.
Also sworn in Sunday was Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, a University of Dayton graduate and former Kettering lawmaker.
Attending the festivities were former governors Dick Celeste, Bob Taft, Ted Strickland and John Kasich as well as the current Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Puerto Rico Lt. Gov. Rivera Marin and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.
The DeWine children and grandchildren played starring roles in the ceremonies: Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine administered the oath, more than a dozen grandkids led the Pledge of Allegiance, and his daughter Anna Bolton and granddauther Izzy Darling introduced him. Fran DeWine, his wife of 51 years, held the family Bibles.
“She is the love of my life. She is the rock of our family. She is my best friend,” Mike DeWine said of Fran during his inaugural address. He said he would not be governor without her.
The new governor became emotional when talking of the absence of his daughter Becky, who was killed in an auto accident age age 22 in 1993.
DeWine, 72, was officially sworn in shortly after midnight at his home in Cedarville, becoming the first governor from the Miami Valley in nearly 100 years and the only one from Greene County in Ohio history. He immediately signed a half-dozen executive orders, setting up protections against discrimination and establishing his initiatives on children and drug addiction recovery.
With more than four decades in public office, DeWine has said he prepared his entire life for the job of governor. He started off as Greene County prosecutor and then Ohio state senator, U.S. representative, lieutenant governor, U.S. senator and then state attorney general.
For Our Future Ohio, a coalition of labor unions, issued a statement Monday, saying they would hold DeWine to his promises, including preserving expanded Medicaid, maintaining protections for Ohioans with pre-existing medical conditions, keeping the anti-union right-to-work off the agenda and standing up to President Trump when merited.
And Iris Harvey of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio issued a statement that said in part: “Gov. Mike DeWine is recognized as one of the most extreme anti-abortion politicians in the country. Reproductive rights supporters are ready to hold him accountable and ensure that high quality health care and education like the services provided by Planned Parenthood are protected for the tens of thousands of Ohioans who rely on them to live healthy, full lives.”
DeWine said during his first debate against Democrat Richard Cordray that he would be willing to sign a bill to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks gestation.
Cedarville University political scientist Kevin Sims said DeWine has demonstrated a strong relationship with the ‘pro-life’ community. “I do think the Legislature will bring that (heartbeat ban bill) back up and I think the governor will sign it,” he said.
State Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, said in a written statement that she is encouraged by DeWine executive orders to protect Ohioans against discrimination.
“I applaud the governor for getting to work immediately and doing his part to better protect people from discrimination and addiction. Though we have no shortage of challenges ahead of us, we have a unique opportunity to put differences aside and work together to give all Ohioans the chance for a better life in our state,” she said.
DeWine will face immediate challenges, including proposing a two-year operating budget by March 15; determining how to fund future road and bridge projects; continuing to work on the opioid addiction crisis that claimed 4,800 Ohioans last year; and delivering on his campaign promises to work with local governments and expand early childhood education for at-risk kids.
DeWine on the issues
Opioids: Institute prevention abuse prevention programs at every grade level; expand the use of drug courts to all counties; increase funding for children's services and foster care; spend any money obtained through Ohio's lawsuit against drug makers on addressing the crisis; increase use of drug task forces.
Gun violence and control: Increase penalties for repeat violent offenders who use guns in their crimes; add mental health services in schools; improve accuracy of criminal records added to the gun purchase background check system; add school resource officers and continue to allow local districts to decide whether to arm staff inside schools; support a "red flag" law but only if it includes due process measures.
Online charter schools and education: Require that a portion of funding for online charter schools be withheld until test scores show students pass courses; continue the state's lawsuit to recoup $72 million from the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow; reduce the number of mandated standardized tests; introduce more fairness to the state school funding formula.
Medicaid expansion: Mandate that able-bodied adults meet work requirements to qualify for the health care coverage; require Medicaid recipients to pass drug tests; emphasize prevention and wellness for the 3 million Ohioans on Medicaid.
Criminal justice reform: Institute harsher prison sentences for repeat violent offenders who use guns; work with local judges to encourage sentences that keep non-violent offenders in community programs instead of state prison beds.
Marijuana: Oppose legalization for recreational use.
Abortion: Would sign a heartbeat bill that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
Jobs and the economy: Use technology to better match workers with job openings; expand the use of career tech centers, apprenticeships, and job certification programs; keep taxes and regulations "rational, reasonable and predictive;" create opportunity zones to lure investment of unrealized capital gains; improve transparency at JobsOhio.
Children: Invest more state money into home visits for at-risk pregnant women and for high-quality early childhood care and preschool.
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