Gov. DeWine signs first 6 orders after swearing-in

Staff and wire report

COLUMBUS

Republican Mike De-Wine was sworn in as Ohio’s 70th governor in a ceremony shortly after midnight at his Cedarville home today.

The former U.S. senator and state attorney general took part in the small ceremony hours before his public inauguration today at noon in the Statehouse in front of friends and members of his large family.

DeWine was surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and others during the 20-minute ceremony. He placed his hand atop a stack of about 10 family Bibles when taking the oath.

After he was officially sworn in, Gov. DeWine signed his first six executive orders. They included placing one person in charge of his administration’s Recovery Ohio program to battle the state’s drug-addiction problem, creating the Governor’s Children’s Initiative, establishing Ohio as a Disability Inclusion State, elevating foster care as a major priority in the Department of Job and Family Services, prioritizing prevention in the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and renewing an anti-discrimination policy for state government.

An inaugural gala will follow at the Statehouse tonight.

He and running mate Jon Husted led a GOP sweep of nonjudicial, statewide offices in the November election. DeWine defeated Democrat Richard Cordray to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. John Kasich, a potential 2020 presidential challenger.

DeWine got campaign help from both President Donald Trump, who rallied with Republican candidates in Cleveland on the eve of the election, and Kasich, a frequent Trump critic.

DeWine happens to be the oldest person elected Ohio governor, having just turned 72 on Jan. 5.

His physician vouched before the election that DeWine was in “very good” health.

He is among Ohio’s most well-known politicians after serving in elected office for four decades, including as a state lawmaker, congressman, lieutenant governor and, most recently, state attorney general.

In that role,

DeWine opposed the Affordable Care Act and funding for Planned Parenthood.

He also has indicated he would have signed the so-called heartbeat bill, which would have given Ohio one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws if it wasn’t twice vetoed by Kasich, who argued that it’s unconstitutional and would lead the state into a costly legal fight. Lawmakers in the GOP-led Ohio Legislature are expected to push the measure again this year.