As campaign ads continue to blame former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton for pandemic-era business and school closures, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is setting the record straight on who held final responsibility for those choices.
Although DeWine has endorsed Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in the gubernatorial race, the governor pushed back against attacks directed at his former health chief, taking full accountability for the administration’s actions.
“People complain about what she was doing, they should look to me,” Gov. DeWine told WTOL 11. “I’m the responsible person. I’m the person who was elected. Buck stops with me.”
𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙆
𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤
𝘿𝙚𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙣
DeWine emphasized that while campaign ads single out Acton for shutting down parts of the state, he was the sole decision-maker throughout the crisis.
“Campaign ads have blamed her, saying she shut down Ohio,” DeWine told WTOL 11. “Well, I made the decisions. I made them daily. I made them based upon the best advice I could get. I took advice from her, I took advice from a lot of different people, and we were navigating that every single day.”
Speaking at an event in Fulton County, Ramaswamy offered a different perspective on Acton’s tenure, maintaining his critique of her performance and her eventual resignation.
“So I think she did not fulfill her duties as health director, providing the right facts,” Ramaswamy told WTOL 11. “But the most important part, that... that’s the big rub. When it came time to make those tough decisions, what did she do? She quit.”
DeWine maintained that Acton served the state well, reiterating that his administration’s goal was always to safeguard lives while preserving as much personal freedom as possible during an unprecedented time.
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For complete details on voter registration, polling locations, and upcoming election information, consult the Ohio Secretary of State Voter Information Portal. Additional news coverage and campaign reporting can be followed at WTOL 11 News and 10TV Local News.
What an asshole