Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he won’t rescind Youngstown State’s selection of Bill Johnson

UPDATE

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told a Plain Dealer editorial board this week that he won’t take steps to overrule Youngstown State University’s decision to name GOP U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson as its president, saying he doesn’t have the legal authority or inclination to make that decision.

“These are difficult jobs, these are vitally important jobs,” DeWine told cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer’s editorial board. “The most important thing any board ever does is to pick the president of the university. Youngstown State trustees made this decision so I don’t have any inclination to override their judgment.”

DeWine compared the Board of Trustee’s decision to the previous pick of Jim Tressel.

“There are people who object to the selection of the new president,” DeWine, a Republican, said about Johnson during a Thursday interview with a group of Ohio newspaper editors. “Look, there were people who objected to Jim Tressel when he came in and the allegation was that he did not have the academic credentials. Jim Tressel was, I would say, a great president at Youngstown State. He understood that the future of the Mahoning Valley depended to a great extent on how well Youngstown State was doing.”

TUESDAY STORY

Youngstown State President Emeritus Les Cochran has asked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to dismiss members of the school’s Board of Trustees and rescinding their action to appoint Bill Johnson as President.

You can read his letter below.

This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 12:29 PM.