January 7, 2026 • 18 mins
Willie talks with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine about the Somalian Daycare scandal finding it's way to Ohio, and his endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy to succeed him.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Bee cunning him the Great American.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
A few hours ago there was a note that Governor
Mike DeWine is going to endorse Viveke Ramaswami. That should
not be great shocked because both are Republicans, but there's
also some indication earlier in the year that ended last
year that he wasn't going to make an endorsement yet,
John of you and I now is Governor Mike DeWine.
And Governor DeWine, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show.
And Governor, can you announce now why you're endorsing Viveke
(00:34):
Ramaswami now and didn't do it a few weeks ago?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Well, I could give you the answer that this is
a little humor here this afternoon. I could give you
the answer that Governor Rose gave when he endorsed Reagan.
And the reporter said, well, governor, Governor, why why today?
And he said, well, yesterday would have been too soon
and tomorrow would be too late. I'm not sure that
was a good answer for him, but the press didn't
(01:01):
do much. It's going to shift their heads and walked away.
I guess so, uh, look, I think that you know
he made the first the first big decision a president makes,
or presidential nominee makes. UH. The first big decision that
a governor makes is picking the running mate. And in
this case, he picked Rob colly, who was the Senate
(01:23):
president from northwest Ohio, someone very well respected. And so
I think that, you know, that was a very very
good decision. I wanted to praise that and congratulate him,
and it just seemed, you know, I talked to uh
dbake yesterday. I talked to him today. We've been we
(01:44):
have been talking, uh, and so I'm you know, happy
to endorse him. Uh. I think he'll be a good governor.
This is you know, will be a significant race. Uh.
You know, we're electing the governor and uh it's a big,
a big job in a big, big position. But I
think he really hit a home run today with Rob McCully.
(02:07):
Good good choice, very very very good choice. And you know, Bill,
we have to continue to grow a hile and we
have to continue to bring companies in from California and
New York, and I think the Dake has the ability
to do that. I think he has the inclination to
do that. I think he has the instinct to do it.
(02:31):
Knows how to do it, so continued economic growth for Ohio.
It's just so very very important.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You know, Governor, when this came out a few weeks ago,
that you were equivocating a bit, there was some thought
among some conservatives that you might lean toward Dtor Amy
Acton because you two worked together March, April, May June
July of twenty twenty. In fact, you filled a very
important one hour time spot between one and two o'clock
(02:58):
with me, with Dtor Aims the acting at your side.
Do you think doctor Amy Acton is in a sense
not qualified to be the governor.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I'm not going to go into that. I mean, you know,
I worked, I worked with her. I think she did
a good job. I know some people criticized, you know,
what was done during that period of time, and I
pointed out that I'm the governor. So if people got
a complaintation, complaint, you know, they complaints with me. Buck
always stops with the governor. It's not the governor's members
of the cabinet. But look, I think she did a
(03:30):
good job in that position. I enjoyed working with her. Uh.
But we're not talking about a very different position. We're
talking about being governor. For the whole state twelve million people.
You know, Bill, after having done this for seven years,
I can tell you that every day, uh, there is
something happening that the governor has to deal with that's
(03:52):
important and that maybe was unexpected. You know, We've had
a lot of unexpected things since I've been governor. Every
governor faces that. You focus on so many different things
if you think about it. You know, we have seventy
six state parks. We have you know, forty five thousand
people who are in prison, so we're running a big
(04:14):
state prison system. Economic development is so very important. Education
probably the most important thing of all is something that
you know, we put a big, big emphasis on frand
with a Deli Partner Imagination Library library, getting free books
to kids. We're now over I think four hundred and
fourteen thousand kids every month get a free book, getting
(04:37):
kids ready for kindergarten, the science of reading, which we
are spreading around the state in every one of our
schools now. It's really the best way to teach kids
how to read. So all these things, you know, there's
just a lot going on every every single day, and
it's just important to have, you know, a leader and
(04:59):
someone who not just as a leader, but someone who
can deal with all the different things that the governor
has to deal with.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And Governor de One I had on a couple hours
ago Maya Cook who's doing her own investigation about daycare
and autism fraud and medicaid fraud in Ohio, and food
stamp fraud, home health fraud. And there was a report
that one of your spokesmen said that the cost of
some fraud is the cost of doing business. Do you
have a sense that Ohio under your leadership is doing
(05:29):
a much better job than appears to be in Minnesota?
Are you on top of the fraud? Some talk about
enrollment versus attendance. What do you say to the critics
who say that Ohio may have massive fraud in the
Somali community, or in the Moreitanian community, or in the
Haitian community. What would you say about that?
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Well, I had a whole press conference the other day
about this bill. As you know, I wanted to lay
out for people to stay Ohio exactly where we were.
I know some people are saying, look, you have Haitian
or you have uh some allions. You know in Minnesota,
you've got the Ohio, particularly the Plumbas area. Therefore, if
you have fraud in in Minnesota, you must have fraud
(06:13):
in Ohio. I'm just not sure that's the way we
are to look at this. I'm not sure if it's
not factual. Uh, we have I think a very good
system in place. It doesn't mean there isn't some fraud
that gets biased, that does happen. No fraud is acceptable.
We have no tolerance for fraud at all. I don't
(06:34):
have the statistics in front of me, but I came
out the other day. But you know, we have pulled
the plug on a number of daycare centers, some run
by some audients, some run by not some allions. U.
You know, if we see that there is fraud there,
if we see, for example, that they don't have records.
They're always supposed to keep their records. Uh. We've pulled
(06:55):
some just because they didn't have their records. UH. So
we're going to continue continue to do that. We do
things differently than some states do. For example, we pay
and maybe they're kind of set the stage if I could.
We're about one hundred thousand children who are in daycare
(07:18):
in the state of Ohio where their parents probably couldn't
afford it. But you know, they want to work. We
want them to work, want the parents to work, and
so we subsidize to some extent that daycare for that
particular child. So there's one hundred thousand kids any one
time are getting some subsidy, their favors are getting some
(07:38):
subsidy to help them pay for that child child care.
We have about fifty two hundred, fifty two hundred daycare
centers in the state that I have kids in there
who the state is paying part of the tuition. Basically
we have a lot more daycare centers now, but fifty
(08:01):
two hundred, So it's fifty two hundred. You know that
we are looking at. Last year we did ten thousand,
ten thousand punt announced inspections. But in addition to that,
you know, we if we see something wrong or paperwork,
you know, we go in. We also encourage I would
(08:22):
say this to any any of your listeners, and I
know that you've you're clear, you know from Cincinnati clear
almost the Lego people listening to you. But if anyone
has a suspicion that daycare center or any other kind
of fraud that's going on any place involved in the
Stable High we don't want to hear about it. And
so when we get these these tips, I'll just call
(08:44):
them tips. When we get them in, we check them
all out. Some of them amount to nothing, but some
of them have amounted to something. And as it's all
of those tips from citizens in the Stable Hi, we've
been able to take action and to stop, you know,
the fraut that was going on, stop money going out
when it should not have been going out. So we
(09:05):
encourage that bill.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Do you say loud and proud there is not massive
fraud in the state of Ohio when it comes to
subsidized daycare or medicaid and which transportation companies make up
trips from the home to a care center or maybe
home health, and which somebody can claim, you know, I'm
caring for my mom or dad twenty four hours a day.
(09:29):
I make seventy eighty thousand dollars a year living with
my mom, and I get paid for all that. The
allegations I know you're aware of this out of Minnesota
are absurd, And there's been seventy eight indictments ninety five
percent of Somali's there's been seventy four convictions in Ohio.
That does happen here too. But are you saying, as
(09:50):
our governor, there is not massive fraud supporting the immigrant
communities in Ohio similar to what's happening in Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I know exactly what's happening in this so you just
recounted it, you know, so I can't see exactly what's
happening there. All I know is the same thing we
all know is what's been reported. What I can tell
you is, uh, you know that we're vigil about about fraud. Uh.
Is there some fraud that occurs? Yeah, You've you've got
fifty two hundred daycare centers. Uh you know, is there
(10:21):
some sometimes uh fraud there? Yeah, but it's not it's
not anything massive. I mean we do things like you know,
we only count. We only let them count and get
paid for when that child actually shows up. Uh. The
BUYD administration wanted us to switch over and we refuse
(10:42):
to do it. They wanted us to switch over to
UH paying buy an enrollment, and we said, no, we're
not gonna pay just because someone's well, what happens and
they don't, you know, the kid doesn't show up for
a week, two weeks three, We're not gonna pay we're
not going to pay for that. Uh. So we you know,
we do we do that differently as I say you
(11:03):
do the unannounced uh visitations when we when we go in,
and we're not only just looking for fraud, we're also looking, frankly,
to make sure those daycare centers are good and to
make sure that you know they're taking care of kids properly.
I mean, we you know, we are concerned about that.
You know, one of the things that we've seen in
(11:24):
the Columbus area, we've seen some people who have shown
up at these daycare centers and filmed themselves and then
stood out there and said, well, I'm shocked they won't
let me into the daycare center. And these are just
people who have no businesses a daycare center. And you know,
if your child is in the daycare center, you wouldn't
want that daycare center open to anybody he just just
(11:48):
to walk in. You can't do that in the school today,
and you shouldn't be able to do that in the
daycare center. So, uh, these daycare centers shouldn't be opening
up uh and and let just someone who wants to
film it and say they want to want to go in.
That's not how we run daycare centers in the state
(12:08):
of Ohio or or probably any place else. We've got
to protect protect you. We do in casey proceeds.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Govin Are you more sensitive to this than you otherwise
might have been because of what's happening in Minnesota? Do
you notice when one of your representatives said, well, you know,
fraud's are cost of doing business, it kind of didn't
sound I don't like that quote.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Look, look I don't I don't like that quote. That's
not my quote. Uh, you know, but we want to
be honest. Just fraud occur. I can tell you it's
occurred because we've caught it, so I know it's courred,
you know. And do we catch everything? Well, probably not everything. Uh,
there's just a lot of a lot of going on,
but we're vigilant. It's important. Uh. We owe this to
(12:49):
the taxpayers to be the ever vigilant about this. This
is taxpairs dollars that we're dealing with.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Lastly, viveg Ramaswami's floating a trial balloon of maybe getting
rid of all the real estate taxes in fact, and
maybe he also said get rid of state income tax.
So those are the main drivers of funding government. And
I can't imagine what the sales tax would be if
you got rid of real estate taxes and got rid
of income taxes. Are those aspirational goals? Practically could Ohioans
(13:24):
get rid of the real estate tax and nor the
state income tax and have government function?
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Well, I'll see how you do both of those. Know,
I don't, I don't. I mean I think that is,
you know, bill in every budget I've signed for budgets,
we have cut the state income tax. So we were
very very comparative today with other states. We didn't used
to be, but we we certainly, we certainly are today.
(13:52):
Real estate taxes, I just signed a series of bills
that will make some significant reforms and I think bring
some meaningful relief to the tax payers of the state
of Ohio. It's a problem, as you and I've discussed,
when a couple that say they're seventy five years old
and they've lived in this house for years, they've paid
off their mortgage, the kids are grown, and they wake
(14:15):
up one day and in the mail there's a bill
that shows that their real estate taxes is going up
thirty five forty percent. That's not right, and that's you know,
that's what's causing some of the people who want to
put this on the ballot to completely do the ways
the real estate tax. I don't think you know, the
people behind that initiative. I don't think that makes any sense.
I don't think you can do that. Can you have reform? Yes?
(14:38):
And I think we, you know, were starting to achieve
that kind of reform.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
All right, Governor, thanks for setting the records trade in
those regards, and I have on guests now and then
to say things like the massive fraud, there's a sense
because you had which I think was a meritorious event,
you and your wife had a Haitian orphanage, that somehow
your bendover backwards to assist those other entities. How would
you address the fact that the kindness you showed for
(15:04):
twenty years in Haiti is kind of weaponized against you
to say, as if he might agree with some of
this fraud going.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
On, Well, well, look what we have done in Haiti
is working with father Tom Hagen, who runs the school
down there. He's got five thousand kids in school. His
kids wouldn't be going to school any other way but
for Father Tom, and you know, we were help them
away with him, and that's just something we do as individuals.
(15:34):
It's not something I do as governor. It's something we
do as individuals. So doesn't change my attitude. Don't think
about anything in the United States. I mean, you know,
we're going to be visuals for any time we see fraud.
We're going to be focused on Ohio and focused on
this country.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
All right, Governor, thank you very much. I want to
get a quick comment by David Pepper, selected by Ammy
Acton to be the lieutenant governor. He's an all Ohioan.
I know David Pepper, He's run for many offices unsuccessfully.
What's your thoughts about him being the lieutenant governor? Or?
Will he be the lieutenant governor with Amy Acton?
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, I saw that announcement today, so you know again, yeah,
I simply simply go back. I think that what prevented
today dredge that first first big decision. I think in
Bob mcpellay, he made a good decision as far as
what the Democrats are doing, I left the Democrats were
about that.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Hi, Governor, thanks for coming on. I called you on
the sly because I wanted to get to may A
cook On and make look in Columbus. There's disasters happening
all over the place, and she was almost physically assaulted
by a couple of Somalis who went after her, and
I said, down nine to one, one get the cops there.
But I just have a sense that between you, the
attorney general, the auditor, and others, that there may be
(16:55):
some fraud in the Columbus, which is a blue city.
But I always said, Ohio is a red Stone eight.
That we don't function the way California functions and the
way that Minnesota functions because the governor spent years as
the prosecutor, spent years as the attorney general, and Mike
DeWine doesn't have a corrupt bone in his body, and
so I'd be shocked if had the same level. But
(17:17):
are there some mistakes. Absolutely, But thanks for coming on
and setting the record straight.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
We'll do it that way, all right, talking with you,
We'll do it. We'll talk about the reps next time.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Rets, we only got about five weeks. What advice would
you give to Mike Brown of the Bengals to tell
Mike Brown to do what?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Well, let's uh, I'm yeah, I don't know, it's uh.
We got a great quarterback, We've got great receivers and
you know, there's a lot of good players on that team.
But there's some things that have to be done, just
like yeah, things have to be done to Reds. So
you know, those Bengals fans and those us A Reds fans,
you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Well, let the RESU made the playoffs. At least they
got to the playoffs. We'll see what happens. But Governor
Mike Dwine, thank you very much. And I reached out
to Vivek Ramaswami. He's going to come on Monday to
talk about the income tax, the property tax and all
that stuff. We'll see what happens. But Governor Mike Dwine,
thanks for coming on the Bill Cunning m Show. Once again.
Thank you, Mike, Thank you, Governor, thank you. You see
(18:21):
now let's continue with more news next. You're home of
the Bengals and Reds and the Bearcats. News Radio seven
hundred WLW
Bee cunning him the Great American.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
A few hours ago there was a note that Governor
Mike DeWine is going to endorse Viveke Ramaswami. That should
not be great shocked because both are Republicans, but there's
also some indication earlier in the year that ended last
year that he wasn't going to make an endorsement yet,
John of you and I now is Governor Mike DeWine.
And Governor DeWine, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show.
And Governor, can you announce now why you're endorsing Viveke
(00:34):
Ramaswami now and didn't do it a few weeks ago?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Well, I could give you the answer that this is
a little humor here this afternoon. I could give you
the answer that Governor Rose gave when he endorsed Reagan.
And the reporter said, well, governor, Governor, why why today?
And he said, well, yesterday would have been too soon
and tomorrow would be too late. I'm not sure that
was a good answer for him, but the press didn't
(01:01):
do much. It's going to shift their heads and walked away.
I guess so, uh, look, I think that you know
he made the first the first big decision a president makes,
or presidential nominee makes. UH. The first big decision that
a governor makes is picking the running mate. And in
this case, he picked Rob colly, who was the Senate
(01:23):
president from northwest Ohio, someone very well respected. And so
I think that, you know, that was a very very
good decision. I wanted to praise that and congratulate him,
and it just seemed, you know, I talked to uh
dbake yesterday. I talked to him today. We've been we
(01:44):
have been talking, uh, and so I'm you know, happy
to endorse him. Uh. I think he'll be a good governor.
This is you know, will be a significant race. Uh.
You know, we're electing the governor and uh it's a big,
a big job in a big, big position. But I
think he really hit a home run today with Rob McCully.
(02:07):
Good good choice, very very very good choice. And you know, Bill,
we have to continue to grow a hile and we
have to continue to bring companies in from California and
New York, and I think the Dake has the ability
to do that. I think he has the inclination to
do that. I think he has the instinct to do it.
(02:31):
Knows how to do it, so continued economic growth for Ohio.
It's just so very very important.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You know, Governor, when this came out a few weeks ago,
that you were equivocating a bit, there was some thought
among some conservatives that you might lean toward Dtor Amy
Acton because you two worked together March, April, May June
July of twenty twenty. In fact, you filled a very
important one hour time spot between one and two o'clock
(02:58):
with me, with Dtor Aims the acting at your side.
Do you think doctor Amy Acton is in a sense
not qualified to be the governor.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I'm not going to go into that. I mean, you know,
I worked, I worked with her. I think she did
a good job. I know some people criticized, you know,
what was done during that period of time, and I
pointed out that I'm the governor. So if people got
a complaintation, complaint, you know, they complaints with me. Buck
always stops with the governor. It's not the governor's members
of the cabinet. But look, I think she did a
(03:30):
good job in that position. I enjoyed working with her. Uh.
But we're not talking about a very different position. We're
talking about being governor. For the whole state twelve million people.
You know, Bill, after having done this for seven years,
I can tell you that every day, uh, there is
something happening that the governor has to deal with that's
(03:52):
important and that maybe was unexpected. You know, We've had
a lot of unexpected things since I've been governor. Every
governor faces that. You focus on so many different things
if you think about it. You know, we have seventy
six state parks. We have you know, forty five thousand
people who are in prison, so we're running a big
(04:14):
state prison system. Economic development is so very important. Education
probably the most important thing of all is something that
you know, we put a big, big emphasis on frand
with a Deli Partner Imagination Library library, getting free books
to kids. We're now over I think four hundred and
fourteen thousand kids every month get a free book, getting
(04:37):
kids ready for kindergarten, the science of reading, which we
are spreading around the state in every one of our
schools now. It's really the best way to teach kids
how to read. So all these things, you know, there's
just a lot going on every every single day, and
it's just important to have, you know, a leader and
(04:59):
someone who not just as a leader, but someone who
can deal with all the different things that the governor
has to deal with.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And Governor de One I had on a couple hours
ago Maya Cook who's doing her own investigation about daycare
and autism fraud and medicaid fraud in Ohio, and food
stamp fraud, home health fraud. And there was a report
that one of your spokesmen said that the cost of
some fraud is the cost of doing business. Do you
have a sense that Ohio under your leadership is doing
(05:29):
a much better job than appears to be in Minnesota?
Are you on top of the fraud? Some talk about
enrollment versus attendance. What do you say to the critics
who say that Ohio may have massive fraud in the
Somali community, or in the Moreitanian community, or in the
Haitian community. What would you say about that?
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Well, I had a whole press conference the other day
about this bill. As you know, I wanted to lay
out for people to stay Ohio exactly where we were.
I know some people are saying, look, you have Haitian
or you have uh some allions. You know in Minnesota,
you've got the Ohio, particularly the Plumbas area. Therefore, if
you have fraud in in Minnesota, you must have fraud
(06:13):
in Ohio. I'm just not sure that's the way we
are to look at this. I'm not sure if it's
not factual. Uh, we have I think a very good
system in place. It doesn't mean there isn't some fraud
that gets biased, that does happen. No fraud is acceptable.
We have no tolerance for fraud at all. I don't
(06:34):
have the statistics in front of me, but I came
out the other day. But you know, we have pulled
the plug on a number of daycare centers, some run
by some audients, some run by not some allions. U.
You know, if we see that there is fraud there,
if we see, for example, that they don't have records.
They're always supposed to keep their records. Uh. We've pulled
(06:55):
some just because they didn't have their records. UH. So
we're going to continue continue to do that. We do
things differently than some states do. For example, we pay
and maybe they're kind of set the stage if I could.
We're about one hundred thousand children who are in daycare
(07:18):
in the state of Ohio where their parents probably couldn't
afford it. But you know, they want to work. We
want them to work, want the parents to work, and
so we subsidize to some extent that daycare for that
particular child. So there's one hundred thousand kids any one
time are getting some subsidy, their favors are getting some
(07:38):
subsidy to help them pay for that child child care.
We have about fifty two hundred, fifty two hundred daycare
centers in the state that I have kids in there
who the state is paying part of the tuition. Basically
we have a lot more daycare centers now, but fifty
(08:01):
two hundred, So it's fifty two hundred. You know that
we are looking at. Last year we did ten thousand,
ten thousand punt announced inspections. But in addition to that,
you know, we if we see something wrong or paperwork,
you know, we go in. We also encourage I would
(08:22):
say this to any any of your listeners, and I
know that you've you're clear, you know from Cincinnati clear
almost the Lego people listening to you. But if anyone
has a suspicion that daycare center or any other kind
of fraud that's going on any place involved in the
Stable High we don't want to hear about it. And
so when we get these these tips, I'll just call
(08:44):
them tips. When we get them in, we check them
all out. Some of them amount to nothing, but some
of them have amounted to something. And as it's all
of those tips from citizens in the Stable Hi, we've
been able to take action and to stop, you know,
the fraut that was going on, stop money going out
when it should not have been going out. So we
(09:05):
encourage that bill.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Do you say loud and proud there is not massive
fraud in the state of Ohio when it comes to
subsidized daycare or medicaid and which transportation companies make up
trips from the home to a care center or maybe
home health, and which somebody can claim, you know, I'm
caring for my mom or dad twenty four hours a day.
(09:29):
I make seventy eighty thousand dollars a year living with
my mom, and I get paid for all that. The
allegations I know you're aware of this out of Minnesota
are absurd, And there's been seventy eight indictments ninety five
percent of Somali's there's been seventy four convictions in Ohio.
That does happen here too. But are you saying, as
(09:50):
our governor, there is not massive fraud supporting the immigrant
communities in Ohio similar to what's happening in Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I know exactly what's happening in this so you just
recounted it, you know, so I can't see exactly what's
happening there. All I know is the same thing we
all know is what's been reported. What I can tell
you is, uh, you know that we're vigil about about fraud. Uh.
Is there some fraud that occurs? Yeah, You've you've got
fifty two hundred daycare centers. Uh you know, is there
(10:21):
some sometimes uh fraud there? Yeah, but it's not it's
not anything massive. I mean we do things like you know,
we only count. We only let them count and get
paid for when that child actually shows up. Uh. The
BUYD administration wanted us to switch over and we refuse
(10:42):
to do it. They wanted us to switch over to
UH paying buy an enrollment, and we said, no, we're
not gonna pay just because someone's well, what happens and
they don't, you know, the kid doesn't show up for
a week, two weeks three, We're not gonna pay we're
not going to pay for that. Uh. So we you know,
we do we do that differently as I say you
(11:03):
do the unannounced uh visitations when we when we go in,
and we're not only just looking for fraud, we're also looking, frankly,
to make sure those daycare centers are good and to
make sure that you know they're taking care of kids properly.
I mean, we you know, we are concerned about that.
You know, one of the things that we've seen in
(11:24):
the Columbus area, we've seen some people who have shown
up at these daycare centers and filmed themselves and then
stood out there and said, well, I'm shocked they won't
let me into the daycare center. And these are just
people who have no businesses a daycare center. And you know,
if your child is in the daycare center, you wouldn't
want that daycare center open to anybody he just just
(11:48):
to walk in. You can't do that in the school today,
and you shouldn't be able to do that in the
daycare center. So, uh, these daycare centers shouldn't be opening
up uh and and let just someone who wants to
film it and say they want to want to go in.
That's not how we run daycare centers in the state
(12:08):
of Ohio or or probably any place else. We've got
to protect protect you. We do in casey proceeds.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Govin Are you more sensitive to this than you otherwise
might have been because of what's happening in Minnesota? Do
you notice when one of your representatives said, well, you know,
fraud's are cost of doing business, it kind of didn't
sound I don't like that quote.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Look, look I don't I don't like that quote. That's
not my quote. Uh, you know, but we want to
be honest. Just fraud occur. I can tell you it's
occurred because we've caught it, so I know it's courred,
you know. And do we catch everything? Well, probably not everything. Uh,
there's just a lot of a lot of going on,
but we're vigilant. It's important. Uh. We owe this to
(12:49):
the taxpayers to be the ever vigilant about this. This
is taxpairs dollars that we're dealing with.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Lastly, viveg Ramaswami's floating a trial balloon of maybe getting
rid of all the real estate taxes in fact, and
maybe he also said get rid of state income tax.
So those are the main drivers of funding government. And
I can't imagine what the sales tax would be if
you got rid of real estate taxes and got rid
of income taxes. Are those aspirational goals? Practically could Ohioans
(13:24):
get rid of the real estate tax and nor the
state income tax and have government function?
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Well, I'll see how you do both of those. Know,
I don't, I don't. I mean I think that is,
you know, bill in every budget I've signed for budgets,
we have cut the state income tax. So we were
very very comparative today with other states. We didn't used
to be, but we we certainly, we certainly are today.
(13:52):
Real estate taxes, I just signed a series of bills
that will make some significant reforms and I think bring
some meaningful relief to the tax payers of the state
of Ohio. It's a problem, as you and I've discussed,
when a couple that say they're seventy five years old
and they've lived in this house for years, they've paid
off their mortgage, the kids are grown, and they wake
(14:15):
up one day and in the mail there's a bill
that shows that their real estate taxes is going up
thirty five forty percent. That's not right, and that's you know,
that's what's causing some of the people who want to
put this on the ballot to completely do the ways
the real estate tax. I don't think you know, the
people behind that initiative. I don't think that makes any sense.
I don't think you can do that. Can you have reform? Yes?
(14:38):
And I think we, you know, were starting to achieve
that kind of reform.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
All right, Governor, thanks for setting the records trade in
those regards, and I have on guests now and then
to say things like the massive fraud, there's a sense
because you had which I think was a meritorious event,
you and your wife had a Haitian orphanage, that somehow
your bendover backwards to assist those other entities. How would
you address the fact that the kindness you showed for
(15:04):
twenty years in Haiti is kind of weaponized against you
to say, as if he might agree with some of
this fraud going.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
On, Well, well, look what we have done in Haiti
is working with father Tom Hagen, who runs the school
down there. He's got five thousand kids in school. His
kids wouldn't be going to school any other way but
for Father Tom, and you know, we were help them
away with him, and that's just something we do as individuals.
(15:34):
It's not something I do as governor. It's something we
do as individuals. So doesn't change my attitude. Don't think
about anything in the United States. I mean, you know,
we're going to be visuals for any time we see fraud.
We're going to be focused on Ohio and focused on
this country.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
All right, Governor, thank you very much. I want to
get a quick comment by David Pepper, selected by Ammy
Acton to be the lieutenant governor. He's an all Ohioan.
I know David Pepper, He's run for many offices unsuccessfully.
What's your thoughts about him being the lieutenant governor? Or?
Will he be the lieutenant governor with Amy Acton?
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, I saw that announcement today, so you know again, yeah,
I simply simply go back. I think that what prevented
today dredge that first first big decision. I think in
Bob mcpellay, he made a good decision as far as
what the Democrats are doing, I left the Democrats were
about that.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Hi, Governor, thanks for coming on. I called you on
the sly because I wanted to get to may A
cook On and make look in Columbus. There's disasters happening
all over the place, and she was almost physically assaulted
by a couple of Somalis who went after her, and
I said, down nine to one, one get the cops there.
But I just have a sense that between you, the
attorney general, the auditor, and others, that there may be
(16:55):
some fraud in the Columbus, which is a blue city.
But I always said, Ohio is a red Stone eight.
That we don't function the way California functions and the
way that Minnesota functions because the governor spent years as
the prosecutor, spent years as the attorney general, and Mike
DeWine doesn't have a corrupt bone in his body, and
so I'd be shocked if had the same level. But
(17:17):
are there some mistakes. Absolutely, But thanks for coming on
and setting the record straight.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
We'll do it that way, all right, talking with you,
We'll do it. We'll talk about the reps next time.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Rets, we only got about five weeks. What advice would
you give to Mike Brown of the Bengals to tell
Mike Brown to do what?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Well, let's uh, I'm yeah, I don't know, it's uh.
We got a great quarterback, We've got great receivers and
you know, there's a lot of good players on that team.
But there's some things that have to be done, just
like yeah, things have to be done to Reds. So
you know, those Bengals fans and those us A Reds fans,
you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Well, let the RESU made the playoffs. At least they
got to the playoffs. We'll see what happens. But Governor
Mike Dwine, thank you very much. And I reached out
to Vivek Ramaswami. He's going to come on Monday to
talk about the income tax, the property tax and all
that stuff. We'll see what happens. But Governor Mike Dwine,
thanks for coming on the Bill Cunning m Show. Once again.
Thank you, Mike, Thank you, Governor, thank you. You see
(18:21):
now let's continue with more news next. You're home of
the Bengals and Reds and the Bearcats. News Radio seven
hundred WLW
Bill Cunningham News
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.