Two politicians who were combatants when they were in office have teamed up on an issue that has sometimes become controversial. Republican former governor John Kasich and Democratic former Cincinnati mayor John Cranley are on a commission urging local officials and experts to work together to get prepared for a public health crisis.
Kasich has leaned far into moderate territory since he finished his second term as governor in 2018, two years after he was the final candidate in an initial field of 17 to suspend his presidential campaign, leaving only Donald Trump. Cranley, who’s now at a law firm, finished his second term as Cincinnati mayor in 2022 and that year ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor. They've teamed up on this project with the de Beaumont Foundation, which works on public health initiatives.
The "Good Health is Good Governance" roadmap Kasich and Cranley are touting has five points:
- an announcement of a commitment to public health such as a press conference
- regular working sessions to identify areas of concern
- establish roles and decision-making authority with elected officials and public health experts
- efforts to create partnerships with leaders in business, education, transportation, agriculture, public safety, healthcare, social services, and faith institutions
- agreement on priorities for what to do, such as building reserves of personal protective equipment
"Whether it's opiate overdoses or a pandemic or a styrene leak out of a train, public health always rears its head back," said Cranley in an interview. "Public officials and health professionals need to work together to solve problems."
Public health became contentious at time during the COVID pandemic. Some of the state's responses were embraced, and others got opposition, especially as time went on. Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has blasted his Democratic opponent Amy Acton for orders she signed as the director of the Ohio Department of Health in the early days of the pandemic—orders that Gov. Mike DeWine has said came at his direction. But Cranley and Kasich said this work is too serious to get heated.
“No politician wants to get caught behind the curve where they don't know what's going on," said Kasich, who praised his successor for his COVID health orders. “We want to be in a position of where together we can act to show the public that that their health is of prime importance to us. So if it gets political, it's because we've got knuckleheads that are involved in everything. But nine out of 10 times, I don't think we're going to have a problem there."
“When a crisis hits, it's practical, not political," said Cranley. "People retreated to their corners on both sides, but the practical issues that local governments and local health officials face require a pragmatic approach that talks about supplies and services."
A survey conducted by Harvard University and the de Beaumont Foundation showed far more support for state and local health officials than the federal authorities. The poll shows confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and other federal health institutions has dropped from 77% in April 2025 to 50% in April 2026. Trust in state and local health agencies and officials has also fallen, but the poll showed 70% said they trust local authorities and 66% have confident in state health officials.
