Opinion: Fran DeWine the pandemic protector-in-chief Dan Sewell View Comments After four decades in politics with Mike DeWine, his wife, Fran has taken on a new, more visible, role during the pandemic: protector-in-chief of Ohio’s governor. Known for her prolific cookbook publishing and hosting an annual ice cream social, she has made keeping DeWine healthy her No. 1 duty the past 14 months. "That's been my job this year," she said recently. But she's also become more public and more involved as an adviser while being with him nearly 24/7 for more than a year. She's helped the Republican governor, who's drawn national attention and some in-state criticism for his responses to the COVD-19 outbreak, utilize their home in Cedarville, some 50 miles from Columbus, as his governing base and healthy sanctuary.