This is the latest in a series of stories talking with elected officials this session about the formative experiences in their lives. The stories are based on the work of the National Institute of Civil Discourse, which maintains that it’s harder to demonize people when you know something about their journey in life.
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BOISE — Ilana Rubel still remembers the group of kids who taunted her 30 years ago, as she rode the bus to her high school prom.
She remembers the names she was called. She remembers the clothes she wore and the panic she felt when they threatened to spill soda on her dress.
What she recalls most, though, is the other kids on the bus — the ones who sat there, silently, as the drama played out.
“I remember thinking, I never want to be those people,” Rubel said. “I didn’t want to be the others, either — the ones who did the taunting — but I really didn’t want to be the ones who just sat there watching.”
Today, as a four-term state representative and leader of the House Democratic caucus, Rubel has an opportunity to stand up for others. It’s something she relishes about the job.
“I can’t just sit by,” she said. “I can’t not speak up.”
Rubel was raised by a single mother in Toronto, Canada. “Extreme poverty” is how she described their circumstances: no car, low-income housing, “lots of rice and beans.”
She worked a dozen different minimum wage jobs growing up, “each one worse than the one before.” She also worked hard in school, and was able to land the financial aid needed to go to elite schools. She attended Georgetown University, and later graduated from Harvard Law School.
“I was a child of the social safety net,” Rubel said. “I benefited from government programs in housing, education and health care. I was extremely aware that education was my ticket out. It was lifesaving, really. It was the difference between ending up as a drug addict on the street and being a Harvard law graduate.”
The experience gave her a heartfelt appreciation for the struggles many underprivileged people face. It also serves as a driving force in her desire to “leave the ladder in place for those coming behind me.”
“I know how incredibly essential that helping hand was,” Rubel said. “I think I’d be a rotten person if I didn’t fight to keep it available for others.”
As for those kids on the bus? The memory stayed with her for 30 years. The first bill she introduced as a legislator was an anti-bullying measure.
Founded in faith
A 2006 trip to Israel and the Mediterranean gave Chuck Winder an opportunity to see the holy sites he’d been studying and reading about his whole life.
“My key (Bible) verse is John 20:29 — ‘Blessed is he who hasn’t seen, and yet believes,’ ” said Winder, a six-term state senator and leader of the Senate Republican caucus. “To actually be able to see that area and understand the distances involved, it strengthened my whole understanding of the geography and history of the region.”
The youngest of seven kids, Winder grew up on his grandfather’s ranch near Vail, Ore. He later served in the U.S. Navy as a pilot and flight instructor, and then worked as a commercial real estate broker, including 30 years running his own firm.
Being his own boss gave him the flexibility to expand his public service opportunities. He served as an Ada County Highway District commissioner for 13 years, and then ran for governor in 1994, losing to Phil Batt in the Republican primary.
After Batt was elected governor, he appointed Winder to the Idaho Transportation Board. Winder subsequently ran for the Senate, where he has served since 2008.
Growing up in a small town was certainly a formative experience, he said, but his involvement with the Bible Study Fellowship probably had the greatest impact on his life.
“It helped build my faith and provided a foundation for doing something meaningful,” Winder said.
Established in 1959, the nondenominational fellowship offers a series of Bible study programs. The programs each have about 30 classes; every class typically features a lecture, a discussion of the lesson and its historical context, and thoughts on how to apply the reading to one’s life.
Each program “is comparable to a college-level class,” Winder said.
His wife joined the fellowship before he did. After talking with her about the classes for six months or so, he figured he might as well sign up himself. He later became a discussion group leader, then class administrator and finally a teaching leader. The latter required about 30 hours of study and preparation each week.
Winder was active with the fellowship for 22 years, from the mid-’80s until he was elected to the Legislature. Because of the time commitment, he couldn’t do both — but the experience continues to guide him, both in public and private life.
“Going through the program strengthened my marriage and certainly expanded my intellectual understanding of the Bible,” Winder said. “It gave me a greater sense of the history and trials of the early Judeo-Christian community. It formed a strong foundation for what I try to accomplish (as a legislator), with respect for the institution and respect for the people who empower this form of government.”
Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.
