Among the issues Governor Mike DeWine addressed in his state of the state address Tuesday were infant mortality and funding for children’s services. Both are concerns in Akron. WKSU spoke with Akron lawmaker Emilia Sykes.
Sykes liked the tone of the Governor’s address. She welcomed the attention he gave to issues affecting the city including a high infant mortality rate and an overburdened Children’s Services agency. It’s seen an increase in need because of the opiate epidemic. Sykes is hopeful when the Governor’s budget comes out, it will include specifics.
“It’s hard to tell whether it is going to be beneficial to our city. I hope that it will be but until we actually see the budget and those proposals right now it sounds really good but we really need more than just talk. We need some action and we need some details.”
The governor has until March 15th to deliver his budget proposal. The legislature must adopt a budget by June 30th.
