Described as a death penalty supporter, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine responds 'I didn't say that'

Gov. Mike DeWine appeared to further distance himself from capital punishment on Tuesday by correcting a reporter who described him as a supporter of the death penalty.

DeWine objected to the "premise" of the question: "I didn't say that. I said I am following the law in Ohio" that permits executions.

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The second-year Republican governor spoke on a wide range of topics Tuesday during a 90-minute-plus interview with editors and reporters from Gannett Ohio newspapers, including The Dispatch.

DeWine, who has declared an "de facto moratorium" on executions since Ohio cannot secure the needed lethal injection drugs, has presided over no executions on his watch and does not expect any to occur next year, either.

The governor said the moral justification for the death penalty — that it favors life by serving as a deterrent to future murders — has been diminished by the decades it can take for the condemned to arrive in the execution chamber after appeals in the courts.

DeWine said lawmakers must choose a different method of execution (such as lethal gas or firing squad) to resume capital punishment, but he declined to specify what means he would suggest, saying it is not a priority for him — nor lawmakers and Ohioans.

"We're not going to execute anyone under the status quo," said the governor, who helped craft Ohio's restoration of the death penalty while a state senator in the early 1980s. "If the legislature wants to take the issue up, we'll engage in discussions with the legislature at that time."

A total of 138 convicted killers reside on Ohio's death row. The state has not conducted an execution since July 18, 2018, when Robert Van Hook died by lethal injection for killing David Self in Cincinnati in 1985. Ohio has executed 56 men since the death penalty was restored in the late 1990s.

DeWine: It's not the time for 'stand-your-ground' gun legislation

DeWine also signaled he could veto Senate Bill 383 if the so-called stand-your-ground measure to remove the duty to retreat before using a gun or other force in self defense reaches his desk.

"I don't want to make any threats ... but we should not be moving forward on other gun bills," DeWine said, without first passing his "Strong Ohio" plan — which he says contains measures to help protect Ohioans from gun violence. He made the proposal after a gunman killed nine people in Dayton on Aug. 4, 2019, and demonstrators chanted for him to "do something."

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Governor supports independence in police shooting investigations

In the wake of protests and an ongoing investigation of the killing of Casey Goodson Jr. in Columbus by a sheriff's deputy, DeWine also called on lawmakers to pass his proposal to reform police agencies, including requiring independent prosecutors and investigators, such as those from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, in police-involved shootings.

"You don't want people to think there is a bias built in," he said. "People need to know immediately what is going to take place."

Expressing sympathy to Goodson's family, DeWine said, "Until all the facts are out, I think people have a hard time making judgments ... I caution the public, let's let the investigation occur, let's get the facts out."

DeWine watching what legislature does on HB 6, education

In other comments during his year-end interview, DeWine said his staff is preparing legislation to require more disclosure of contributions to entities such as Generation Now, which spent about $60 million in undisclosed "dark" money to pass the House Bill 6 bailout of a pair of nuclear power plants that has led to federal racketeering indictments.

Asked about GOP lawmakers' failure to repeal House Bill 6, DeWine said, "I'm one branch of government." He said although he supports preserving carbon-free nuclear power, HB 6 "has a smell to it and we have to get rid of the smell. The best way to do that is to repeal the bill ... it doesn't have to be perfect."

While the House passed a dramatic revamp of how Ohio funds it schools, it will not be considered by the Senate as the lame-duck session ends.

"We will continue to weigh in," DeWine said. "When you talk about a complete revision of school funding, that is within the purview of the legislature." As his administration works on his second budget, DeWine is committed to preserving $675 million in "wellness" dollars to schools to address students' unmet medical, mental health and other needs.

With many students learning online due to the coronavirus pandemic, DeWine said the state could provide funding next summer to schools and nonprofits to provide help for students whose academic performance suffers due to online classes.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow