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It's been over three years since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, and officials burned vinyl chloride in plumes over a village of fewer than 5,000 people. In February 2023, this community on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border was the subject of international news and thrust to the center of American politics. Media and political figures arrived when the spotlight was on. When the cameras left, the town learned what happens when no one is watching.
In 2024, class-action attorneys negotiated a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern that required residents to waive future personal-injury claims, including for illnesses not yet discovered. Flyers promised $25,000 per household but the average personal-injury award arrived years later at about $12,400 -- half of what was promised of an already measly payout. Making matters worse, the lawyers collected $180 million in fees and expenses, and were paid within 14 days of approval, while the families impacted waited for their checks. Meanwhile, environmental testing the attorneys commissioned, showing carcinogenic dioxins and PAHs above cancer screening levels, remained hidden from their own clients until just a few weeks ago.
I recently visited East Palestine and sat down with the people who are still searching for clear answers about information that directly affects their families. I met with a mom who doesn't know whether it's safe for her sons to play in their backyard because of potential toxins in the soil. I also heard from citizens who unknowingly signed away their rights without having all the facts. No matter who I spoke with, our conversations kept returning to the same point: The people of East Palestine don't want our sympathy, they want the truth.
But here's what else I saw: a resilient community that's ready to move forward to a bright future. A charming small town with vibrant restaurants and events. Dynamic programs and activities for young people after school, all supported by a tight-knit community and network of families. I'm confident East Palestine's best days ever can still be yet ahead of us, if we lead in the right and transparent manner.
Politics creates a simple temptation: go where the votes are. That can lead some politicians to treat a small town of 5,000 people like a rounding error, important when a crisis makes national news, but easy to forget once the spotlight moves somewhere else. I reject that way of thinking.
Big city or small town, every Ohio community matters and is made up of the people who make our state great. From a small business owner in Dayton trying to keep the doors open, to a union worker in Toledo providing for their family, to a mom in East Palestine who simply wants to know that her home and community are safe, every Ohioan deserves a governor who will stand with them--and fight for them--for the long haul.
Of course, a governor has to set priorities. But there is a difference between prioritizing problems and writing people off. The principles that protect a village of 5,000--truth, transparency, and accountability--are the same ones that protect a metro region with a population in the millions. A state that abandons its smallest communities will eventually abandon its largest ones, too.
So as governor, I will hold myself to a simple standard applied equally to every corner of Ohio. First, I will listen to the people directly affected by a crisis or challenge. I've already made that a priority on the campaign, holding open town halls and hearing directly from voters about the issues affecting their families and communities. Second, I'll work to get the facts. Not the soundbite or press release, not the loudest voice in the room, but the underlying evidence to get to the truth. Third, I will put the facts in front of the people affected by them. The government should never be in a position to ask citizens to trust its conclusions while shielding the data that underpins them. Finally, where warranted by the shared facts, I will make a decision, act to make things right, and unite our state around the solution.
In East Palestine, that starts with bringing every piece of environmental testing into the light and taking a hard look at a process that paid lawyers first and victims last. But my commitment doesn't end at the village border. It extends to every town and Ohioan that has ever felt forgotten once the cameras left. This is about more than one train derailment or one legal settlement. It is about what we owe people when their lives are turned upside down, and what real leadership looks like in the months and years that follow.
Unfortunately, our state has had its fair share of tragedies. The devastating train derailment in East Palestine wasn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last. But with leadership, we can make sure every Ohioan has the support they need if disaster strikes.
Five thousand Ohioans are enough to matter. Every Ohioan is. As governor, I will never confuse the size of a community with the value of the people who call it home, and I will always fight for those who feel forgotten, ignored or failed by the system.
Vivek Ramaswamy is the Republican nominee for
governor of Ohio.