The following is an as-prepared version of Ohio Governor Mike Dewine's Second Inaugural Address, released to the press on Jan. 9, 2023

Lieutenant Governor Husted; Senator Vance; Congressman Carey; Speaker Stephens; President Huffman; Leader Antonio; Leader Russo; Chief justice Kennedy; Justices Fischer, Dewine, Donnelly, Stewart, and Brunner; Attorney General Yost; Auditor Faber; Secretary of State Larose; Treasurer Sprague; esteemed mayors; reverend clergy; and members of the General Assembly;

My fellow citizens of

Ohio ....

Four years ago, in this historic capitol on this very spot, I took the oath of office to become your Governor.

We celebrated then and we celebrate today what has made Ohio great -- our faith, our families, and our friends.

So, let me now introduce my family. For the past four years, Ohioans have seen Fran by my side as we fought a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic.

They have seen her passion for children and for children’s literacy.

And, they have seen her bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to children across the state of Ohio.

And, for over 55 years of marriage, our family has seen her strength, her compassion, and her leadership. She is the rock of our family. And through times of great joy and times of great sorrow -- she holds us all together.

Let me now introduce to you my bride, Fran.

Fran and I want to introduce to you our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren.

Just as in the past I learned from my parents and grandparents, now I continue to learn from our own children and our own grandchildren.

We also want to introduce to you Fran’s brothers and sisters and their families, who, many years ago, really became my brothers and sisters.

Today, on this day of celebration, we also remember our family members who are no longer with us, but who remain forever in our hearts -- our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, Fran’s brother Mike, our daughter Becky, and our granddaughter Kathryn Becky.

We miss them all so very much.

To my fellow citizens of Ohio -- thank you! Thank you for the trust and responsibility that you have given me.

And thank you for giving us the most precious thing there is -- and that is time -- time for us to continue to work for you as we tackle our state’s unfinished business.

Not long into my first term, we found ourselves facing an invisible enemy that threatened our health and our lives. Yet, Ohioans rallied -- as you always do -- and showed the world your resilience.

We will continue to remember the Ohioans who have been lost in the pandemic.

And, we will remain indebted to our healthcare workers -- our nurses, doctors, and first responders; our grocery store and restaurant workers; local health department personnel; teachers and educators; our Ohio National Guard troops, and so many, many others -- all of whom have stepped up in countless ways.

Let’s stop and give them a round of applause.

Woody Hayes said, “you win with people!” And

Ohio’s greatness has always come from our people.

Here in Ohio, we like to do things “the Ohio way!”

We get up in the morning. We go to work.

We make things! We invent things! We do things!

And in Ohio, we have elected leaders throughout our history who focus on the things that really matter to our families and our communities.

We’re pragmatic. We’re

“no drama.”

And when we get knocked down, instead of complaining, we just get back up and get things done!

My promise to you four years ago in my first inaugural address was that we would invest in people.

I spoke of my dad and my grandfather, who both planted seeds in the autumn of their lives, knowing full well that they would likely not live to see those seeds grow into flowers and large trees.

But they did these things, nonetheless, because they wanted to do things that endured beyond their lifetimes so their children and grandchildren could enjoy the shade of those trees and the beauty of those flowers.

With that same optimism and faith in the future, I asked the people of Ohio and the General Assembly to “do things where the results will not be immediate -- but where they will be profound, and where they will endure.”

And, I asked you to invest -- to invest in things where, in many cases, “we will not see results during this administration or even in our lifetimes,” but to act, nonetheless.

And act we did!

Together, we are creating the environment in this state, where every single Ohioan can have a better life and a more prosperous future.

We are building an Ohio where every single child -whether they live in Appalachia, in the inner city, or in a village -- has access to quality childcare;

A good school; and positive adult role models and mentors.

We are building an Ohio where every child can find something that they have a real passion for and get the training they need to turn that passion into their livelihood.

We are building an Ohio with first-class infrastructure, with roads and bridges that are safe and strong -- including a brand-new bridge that we are soon going to start building across the Ohio river at Cincinnati and Covington, KY!

We are also delivering high-speed internet that will be available and reliable to every corner of every county; and working to make clean drinking water accessible to everyone.

We are also going after the violent offenders who are terrorizing our communities and the drug dealers who are peddling poison to our citizens.

And we are ridding Ohio of the stigma -- yes the stigma -- that comes with addiction and mental illness -- and we will transform Ohio into the best state in the nation for mental health treatment; the best state in the nation for mental health research; and the best state in the nation for mental health prevention.

My fellow Ohioans -- our goal each day will be to make possible the dreams of every one of our citizens.

As leaders, we will remember that what is important is not our dreams, but what is important is that we create the environment here in Ohio where each Ohioan has the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Over the next four years, we will be guided by the same core principles and the same core values that have steered us in the past...

For the remainder of Governor Dewine’s Second Inaugural Address, visit:

https://governor.ohio.gov.