In Unique Midnight Ceremony, Mike DeWine Sworn in as Governor of Ohio

Andrew Shirley

If his first day in office is any gauge of his coming term of office, Governor DeWine will have an unprecedented tenure.

DeWine is not the first executive to be sworn in on more than one Bible. As recently as 2017, President Donald Trump was sworn in on two; a common practice.

When Mike DeWine was sworn in as Governor of Ohio, he was sworn in on nine.

Nine Bibles.

At 12:01 A.M., Mike DeWine took his oath of office at his family home in Cedarville. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine, his son, administered the oath with all nine Bibles. When asked why nine, a spokesperson stated that the family wanted one for each of their eight children, in addition to theirs.

Immediately following the ceremony, the 72-year-old Ohioan, signed six separate Executive Orders, crossing a wide array of issues. They are:

  1. E.O. 2019-01D: Creating the Governor’s RecoveryOhio Initiative,
    • This creates a special task force that will oversee the statewide battle against the Opioid Epidemic. Leading the group as his “Drug-Czar” is  Alisha Nelson, who has served in the capacity under DeWine when he was Attorney General,
  2. E.O. 2019-02D: Creating the Governor’s Children’s Initiative,
    • Ohio has one of the highest childhood mortality rates in the country. This initiative will focus on harmonizing efforts to enhance care for children. especially from underprivileged families. LeeAnne Cornyn will oversee the initiative and, like Nelson, held a similar role under DeWine  when he was Attorney General,
  3. E.O. 2019-03D: Establishing Ohio as a Disability Inclusion State and Model Employer of Individuals with Disabilities,
    • DeWine intends to make Ohio a model state for supporting the differently abled in the workplace. This department will review the state’s hiring practices and is intended to find innovative ways to make Ohio more accommodating of everyone, regardless of disability,
  4. E.O. 2019-04D: Elevating Foster Care Priorities in Ohio,
    • This order moves the Ohio Office of Families and Children under the oversight of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The intention is to improve foster care in the state and lower turnover rates for caseworkers.
  5. E.O. 2019-05D: Anti-Discrimination Policy in State Government,
    • In a rather unique move for a lifetime Republican, this measure expands discrimination protection for a myriad of additional groups including age, religion, and military service. The move is being praised by LGBTQ leaders for its inclusiveness and “family friendliness,”
  6. E.O. 2019-06D: Elevating Prevention within the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
    • This final order creates a position to head the Prevention Services Bureau, under the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The intention is to more effectively oversee and protect children from drug abuse, most notably those who come from drug-using homes.

Later that day, DeWine, the 64th governor of Ohio, was sworn in again at the Statehouse rotunda, again administered by his son. His inaugural speech spoke to optimism  and avoided partisan rhetoric:

Everyone, no matter where they were born or who their parents are, deserves the chance to succeed, to get a good-paying job, to raise a family comfortably, and to be secure in their future,

The lifelong Ohioan seems intent to chart a new course, not just for himself, but for all of Ohio.

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Andrew Shirley is a reporter at Battleground State News and The Ohio Star. Send tips to [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

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