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DeWine stresses improving education and mitigating drug crisis during Valley campaign stop
By Justin Wier
CANFIELD
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said his gubernatorial campaign will focus on improving educational opportunities and getting ahead of the opioid crisis.
DeWine and his running mate, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, made their first appearance together in the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday with a visit to Inner Circle Pizza at 6579 Ironwood Blvd. in Canfield.
The stop marked one of the first public appearances they have made since Husted ended his candidacy and joined the DeWine ticket Nov. 30.
DeWine said the last election shows the Mahoning Valley may not be the Democratic stronghold it has been historically.
“Our job is to take our message to the people of the Mahoning Valley,” he said.
The focus on jobs would require collaboration with Youngstown State University, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the Youngstown Business Incubator, DeWine said.
On his agenda, DeWine said improving education will require a focus not just on K-12 but on expanding post-secondary options to include two-year colleges and technical centers alongside traditional four-year colleges.
About two-thirds of Ohioans need post-secondary training to prepare for new job opportunities, DeWine said. Currently, about 43 percent of Ohioans have received some post-secondary education.
DeWine also wants to see more urgency regarding the opioid crisis, he said.
“The part that’s sometimes missed is really what a weight this is,” DeWine said. “It weighs down our economy.” In his travels around the state, DeWine said business owners have told him they struggle to find people to hire. People either don’t have the required skills or they fail to pass drug tests.
DeWine estimated that 40 percent of applicants either drop out when they realize a drug test is attached or they fail the drug test.
“We have a lot of folks out there who aren’t living up to their God-given potential,” he said.
Husted said he and DeWine will spend the rest of the year and most of next year uniting the state around their vision of building a more prosperous Ohio.
He said they share common values including life, family, freedom, faith, hard work and dignity.
Mark Munroe, Mahoning County Republican Party chairman, said the Mahoning Valley is important to DeWine and Husted’s strategy and their plans for the state.
“We shouldn’t be surprised that they came here, and we shouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of them,” he said.