New day, new governor

Strickland, 65, now holds political control of a state that both parties view as critical to a White House victory in 2008.

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher took his oath before Strickland, with new first lady Frances Strickland and other family members by his side, was sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moyer.

Strickland then signed his oath and an executive order limiting the gifts he and other members of his administration can accept.

"When those who want contracts or grants or other benefits from the state give gifts or meals or tickets or trips to state officials or employees, the people of Ohio have every right to be suspicious that official government decisions aren't being based on the merits," the order said.

Strickland and members of his staff and cabinet will be allowed to accept gifts only from family members and close friends who don't lobby or do business with the state, except for inexpensive token gifts and meals under $20.

Strickland was sworn in on the 1763 Huntington Bible, the oldest in the collection of the Ohio Historical Society. The book was owned by Samuel Huntington, who served as the first acting president of the United States, signed the Declaration of Independence and presided over the Continental Congress.

He handed it down to his nephew, Samuel, Ohio's third governor. The Bible is reported to have been used in the swearing in of Ohio's second governor, Thomas Kirker, in 1807.

A public celebration, in which Strickland and Fisher will repeat their inauguration on the Statehouse lawn, is scheduled for Saturday. Having the festivities Monday was ruled out, in part to avoid competing with college football's national championship game, in which top-ranked Ohio State plays No. 2 Florida.

Strickland's sisters beamed as their brother signed the oath of office, one saying under her breath, "This is so great."

Democrats last saw their nominee win the governor's office in 1986, when voters re-elected Richard Celeste. Strickland's win over GOP nominee Ken Blackwell came amid a Democratic surge both in the state and nationally and followed high-profile scandals involving Republican Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges, and an unorthodox $50 million investment in rare coins by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

The investigations into that investment led to the departure of the bureau's longtime director and numerous criminal charges against bureau employees and members of Taft's administration.

After the state's probe began, Taft disclosed that he failed to report golf outings and other gifts. He then pleaded no contest to ethics charges in August 2005. He was the first Ohio governor to be charged with a crime while in office.

He ended his tenure as one of the most unpopular governors in America.

Strickland made no comments elaborating on the executive order, but in a statement released earlier in the evening said, "Recent scandals in Columbus have created the perception that decisions are made to reward political friends instead of making decisions that are best for Ohio."

About a third of Ohio voters who had backed Bush in 2004 supported Strickland, who sent a pro-Christian, pro-gun message that appealed to many swing voters. Strickland has pledged to work with Republicans in the Legislature and against the divisiveness that consumed the state amid scandal and one-party rule.

As both an ordained Methodist minister and a psychologist who has taught college, Strickland also joins only a few Ohio governors who have been in either the clergy or academia, according to research by the Ohio Historical Society.

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