Rankin Appears To Have Ousted Gop Incumbent Tax Activist Leading Macdonald In Race For Commission Seat

(From For the Record, Thursday, May 30, 1996:) Democrat Chuck Sheroke was inaccurately quoted Wednesday saying he was surprised by tax activist Ron Rankin’s success in the Republican primary. He said he was surprised only by the margin of Rankin’s victory.

In a strong showing, tax activist Ron Rankin was poised to oust two-term Kootenai County Commissioner Bob Macdonald Tuesday.

With 32 of 52 precincts reporting, Rankin was leading Macdonald and computer consultant Reed Simpson with more than 52 percent of the vote. Macdonald had 40 percent and Simpson had less than 8 percent.

A glowing Rankin dubbed the apparent victory a referendum on taxes and his property tax limiting One Percent Initiative.

At 67, the longtime local activist who has run several unsuccessful campaigns for local and statewide offices, said Tuesday that his time had finally come.

“I always had the Moses syndrome - in the past, I never made it to the promised land but I always had a profound influence on decisions,” Rankin said. “This time, I get to do both.”

Macdonald was surprised by Rankin’s strong showing, but was not prepared to concede anything at 10:45 p.m.

“We did all the same things we always do - talk to people, put up signs, urge them to vote,” he said. “In past elections I’ve never been behind this far at this point, but you never know until it’s over.”

Macdonald refused to speculate on why residents voted as they did.

“We’re responsible for telling them who we are,” he said. “We’re not responsible for what they (voters) do.”

Both candidates ran sort of a stealth campaign, doing virtually nothing until the last two weeks before the primary. Macdonald littered the county with yard signs; Rankin inserted 32,000 four-page fliers in local newspapers.

“It was a chance to tell the people, in great detail, what we mean to do,” Rankin said.

Simpson, the founder of the East Side Fire District, meanwhile kept a running Internet dialogue with voters for more than a month before the primary. But Rankin and others said the Harrison man did not have name recognition.

Rankin’s victory sets up a sure-to-be-fiery campaign against Democrat attorney Chuck Sheroke.

The environmental-minded lawyer and Rankin could not be more different, political watcher Peter Erbland said earlier this month.

“I’m a little surprised at Rankin’s success,” Sheroke said. “It’s definitely going to be a different campaign.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Kootenai County commissioner race