Bob Macdonald’s Had A Term Zoning Plan, Courthouse Among His Achievements

In six years, Kootenai County and Commissioner Bob Macdonald have been through “hell and high water” together.

And that’s not just an expression, Macdonald said.

In 1991, having been in office barely a year, he and the county faced the inferno of Firestorm ‘91 - a wildfire that destroyed homes throughout the Inland Northwest.

Just months before his defeat last May in the Republican primary, flooding on the Coeur d’Alene River caused thousands of dollars in damage.

Today marks the end of a 14-year career in elected office for Macdonald, one that started in 1982 with the first of two terms as a Coeur d’Alene city councilman.

During that time, Macdonald faced battles over explosive growth and rising property taxes. The county passed a comprehensive plan, started construction on a new courthouse, and developed a 911 center.

“We’ve been through a lot,” Macdonald said last week. “And I’m sure there are more changes ahead.”

Today also marks a first for tax activist Ron Rankin, who will take Macdonald’s place after running unsuccessfully for office 10 times in 30 years.

It’s too early to say exactly what the transition will bring, but one thing is certain: For two men who share a conservative ideology and a commitment to Kootenai County, Rankin and Macdonald couldn’t be more different.

Regardless, another fellow Republican who left the office two years ago suspects the tenor, style and substance of the three-man, all-GOP board won’t change as much as some predict.

“I don’t think Ron is going to be as confrontational as he has led people to believe he’s going to be,” said former commissioner Kent Helmer. “I think there will be some things they all disagree on, but I think people will really be surprised how well the board will work together.”

For his part, Rankin seems to agree, and jokes about how much he and Commission Chairman Dick Compton have in common. But he also insists he’ll maintain his independence.

“These other two commissioners are pretty conservative,” Rankin said, then laughed. “I believe we’ll be able to sway them our way some of the time.”

Rankin also suggests he might disagree with Compton and Commissioner Dick Panabaker more often on land-use issues than some others.

In some ways, he may share that trait with Macdonald.

For nearly four of his six years with the county, Macdonald was knee-deep in land-use issues, holding hearings and community meetings to develop a comprehensive plan. It was a long-overdue process, Macdonald said.

“There were a lot of things previous commissioners hadn’t been willing to address,” he said. “That was one of them.”

After all the work that went into the document, Macdonald, in 1994, voted against it.

“Just because we were both Republicans didn’t mean we always voted the same,” said counter-part Helmer, who voted for the plan and was defeated months later in the GOP primary.

The two men did agree on their first major decision, which came only months after taking office in 1991. They agreed to fire Solid Waste Director Kim Yerxa, who had been accused by his employees of taking county vehicles and other materials for private use.

“That was a tough way to start,” Macdonald said. “Since then we focused a lot on getting the right people into the right offices.”

Macdonald was praised by colleagues as a good listener, and someone who cared about county employees - the people, he said, who make government work.

Under his watch, the county approved a nearly $4 million project now under way to build another courthouse adjacent to the existing one to provide more space for cramped workers.

The county also moved toward completion of the Centennial Trail - a pet project of Macdonald’s since his days with the city.

“He’d always been interested in the park and recreation aspects of city government,” fellow councilman Ron Edinger said. “He worked very diligently on the trail.”

Helmer agreed.

“That trail was the high-point for Bob, and I think it should be a feather in his cap,” he said.

Macdonald, an outdoor enthusiast who spent 10 years as a part-time ski patroller at Silver Mountain, said he has always believed he should focus on what interests him.

That’s why the one-time beer distributor, is now taking classes to become a real estate salesman - a position he held long ago while living in Minnesota.

But he won’t give up public life for good: He has submitted an application to serve on the county’s volunteer fair board.

“I’m a joiner, I always have been,” he said. “My father-in-law once told me you don’t get paid for everything you do. I’m just doing my part as a resident of this community.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo