The disarming way of DeWine and Tressel

"Just relax. But don't be yourself too much." This was the sage advice innocently dispensed by my 10-year-old daughter, whose unassuming, yet razor-sharp humor is beginning to make a name for itself in our family. She was referring to the assignment on my Wednesday morning calendar, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. I would be hosting a group of our company's Ohio editors and reporters for a Zoom interview with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and new Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel. Much to Juliet's chagrin, I can't help but be myself. When Tressel walked into the interview 10 minutes late from another appointment, he was introduced to us by DeWine. Immediately, I asked the first question: "Are you going to more of an offensive-minded lieutenant governor, or are you going to be more of a defensive-minded leader?" He laughed and confidently said, "offensive-minded," as if he immediately called up Ohio State's 42-39 victory over Michigan in 2006. This Michigan fan sure remembers that heartbreaker. I don't think I heeded the advice of being relaxed, either, although I've come a long way from nervously interviewing Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm when I was a 20-year-old newspaper intern. After she winked at me following one of my questions, I stumbled through the rest of the interview like a bumbling fool. The fact I was relaxed was more to do with DeWine and Tressel's demeanor than anything on my end. The two have a way of disarming those in the "virtual" room with them. In this case, it was journalists, some of whom asked the challenging questions you would expect from a group wanting to report on the new lieutenant governor, state budget and upcoming fast-moving bills. I know we don't want to go back to this memory, but I do somewhat fondly recall listening to "Grandpa DeWine" give his daily status updates during the height of the COVID scare. Obviously, the tactics of how this was handled would have changed had we known then what we know now, but DeWine was a calming presence during this era, and at least helped my family get through a frustrating and isolating time. The same spirit was enacted in our call Wednesday. Since moving to Ohio in 2019, I've come to characterize DeWine as a more moderate Republican, someone with a common-sense outlook and who is comfortable discussing nuances on both sides of the aisle. He's the perfect picture how a leader should behave — at least that was the picture I had prior to the dizzying political changes of the last eight years. Although it shocked many, me included, I saw in plain sight the allure of picking Tressel as DeWine's No. 2. A leader, a communicator, a steady hand. These are all characteristics I saw in Tressel's answering of our questions. DeWine mentioned more than once that Tressel would be an ideal person to lead the state of Ohio if something were to happen to him. I personally do not think Tressel is going to run for governor in the 2026 election. I think both he and DeWine will ride out in the sunshine together, with a new guard coming who will look a lot different. To me, Tressel's appointment is a two-year mission, with the hopes of them providing a steady hand to Ohioans during a turbulent time on the macro political level. I don't think we'll see many more like DeWine. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have rapidly changed and candidates who once may have been tabbed as strong are saying "no thanks" to the political meat grinder. Those who are running are coming from increasingly varied backgrounds. If a Republican — or a Democrat — is elected Ohio's next governor, I can guarantee he or she will look nothing like DeWine. Debate away on his policies and actions. That's a very healthy thing to do in a democracy. But at the expense of my own criticism, I miss politicians like DeWine. He carries himself like a statesman and both he and Tressel seemingly give instant respect to anyone whom they are in front of, regardless of the difference in their views or background. They simply have a way of making you feel relaxed. And like yourself. Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay, the Sandusky Register, The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin, the Norwalk Reflector and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.