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DeWine Makes No Promises on Restoring Local Government Fund

photo of Mike DeWine
KAREN KASLER
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
DeWine said he promised counties that he will be a "good partner."

With just over a month before he takes office, Governor-elect Mike DeWine spoke to the leaders of the state’s 88 counties – who plan to pressure him for more funding in the upcoming budget process.

Counties say state cuts have cost them $351 million for each of the last ten years. And though DeWine told the commissioners he knows the hits they’ve taken with budget cuts and the opioid crisis, he never promised to bring it back.

“I was very careful during the campaign not to say that I’m going to restore the local government fund to a certain level," he said. "What I have said is that we’re going to be a good partner.  We want to work with you.”

DeWine said he’s committing more money for local children’s services and will be expanding some foster care and adoption pilot programs from his attorney general’s office.

He also said he’ll work with sheriffs to help them with multi-jurisdictional drug task forces.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.