ICYMI: Toledo Blade: DeWine became ‘Cuomo of Ohio’ during pandemic, says Renacci
08/14/21
Cleveland, OH – Former congressman and businessman Jim Renacci spoke before the City Club of Cleveland to discuss his vision to move Ohio forward after Mike DeWine has trafficked in misery and corruption into the state. Renacci also spoke about the importance of parents having the option to choose what is best for their children, as opposed to mask and vaccine mandates.
Read this article by the Toledo Blade detailing Renacci’s remarks at the event.
DeWine became 'Cuomo of Ohio' during pandemic, says Renacci
Toledo Blade
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci on Friday accused Gov. Mike DeWine of overreacting during the coronavirus pandemic by fueling fear and acting unilaterally to all but shut down Ohio's economy.
Speaking before the City Club of Cleveland, the northeast Ohio businessman and former congressman also said the governor has not done enough to address Statehouse corruption and said that if elected, he would dismantle JobsOhio, the private, nonprofit economic development entity created under Mr. DeWine's predecessor, fellow Republican John Kasich.
“I would not have done many of the draconian things that I believe Governor DeWine did,” Mr. Renacci said of the pandemic. “Let's face it. He shut down very quickly. He relied on a director of health to scare people. We should never be scaring people.
"We should have been talking about, yes, we have a contagious disease. Yes, there are concerns, but he had people scared," he said. "...I think this governor overreacted. I think he became the Cuomo of Ohio."
He also said it should be parents, not the state or school boards, who make decisions as to vaccinations and mask wearing in public schools. While some schools have enacted their own mandates, the state has so far just "strongly recommended" vaccinations and then face masks and social distancing for the unvaccinated.
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"If [Mr. DeWine] wants the state to change from No. 1 [in] corruption to No. 50, which is where we should be — and zero corruption, he's got to come out and make those changes," Mr. Renacci said. "He's not even talking about it."
Among others, he pointed to Sam Randazzo, the DeWine-appointed chairman of the powerful Public Utilities Commission of Ohio who resigned after months on the job after the FBI raided his home. Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to pay a $230 million penalty to avoid prosecution in a bribery scheme that it says partly involved Mr. Randazzo.