Tom Rukavina

Thomas Rukavina (August 23, 1950 – January 7, 2019) was an American politician and a Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1987 to 2013. In 2010 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Minnesota, seeking the DFL nomination. He was a St. Louis County commissioner from 2015 to 2018.

Early life

Rukavina was born in Virginia, Minnesota, of Croatian and Italian descent,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="dnt_20120512"/> and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in political science.<ref name="legdb">Template:Cite web</ref> He first held elected office in the 1970s on the Virginia school board and the Pike Town Board.<ref name=dies>Template:Cite web</ref> Before becoming a full-time legislator, he worked in various positions, including at the Minntac taconite plant, as a logger and a naturalist at the Ironworld Discovery Center in Chisholm, Minnesota, and as an assistant director at Giants Ridge Ski Area.<ref name="dnt_20120512">Template:Cite news</ref>

Minnesota House of Representatives

Rukavina was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for thirteen terms, serving from 1987 to 2013.<ref name=death/> He represented District 5A, which included the Mesabi Range in St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota.<ref name="legdb" /> In 2012, he announced he would not seek reelection, citing his frustration with the partisan atmosphere at the state Capitol.<ref name="dnt_20120512" />

Rukavina proposed a bill that would ban the sale of foreign-made American flags in Minnesota.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The bill later passed into law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2009, Rukavina opposed allowing the University of Minnesota to sell beer and wine only in premium seats at TCF Bank Stadium.<ref name=drink/> He insisted that the University alter its policy to sell alcohol to all legal drinkers throughout the stadium, including its own students.<ref name=drink>Template:Cite news</ref>

2010 gubernatorial campaign

File:090922-Tom-Rukavina-137.jpg

Rukavina speaking in 2009

On July 23, 2009, Rukavina filed paperwork for an exploratory committee for Governor of Minnesota, making his candidacy official in early September at Bayfront Park in Duluth.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was later endorsed by Congressman Jim Oberstar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the DFL state convention he dropped out of the race and endorsed Margaret Anderson Kelliher.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Rukavina was arrested on July 31, 2004, for fourth-degree drunk driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.15.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He pleaded guilty to the charge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rukavina was married to Jean who previously had three children and Rukavina had two children.<ref name=obit>Template:Cite web</ref> Rukavina's daughter Ida worked for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.<ref name=obit/> Ida Rukavina was then Executive Director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) starting in July 2021 before being appointed by MN Governor Tim Walz as the new commissioner of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board in December 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was friends with late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, who was flying to attend the funeral of Rukavina's father when his plane fatally crashed in October 2002.<ref name=obit/>

Death

Rukavina died of leukemia on January 7, 2019, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, aged 68.<ref name=death>Template:Cite news</ref>

In response to his death, Governor Tim Walz said: "There's folks who put their life into serving Minnesota, and Tom Rukavina was one of those".<ref name=obit/> U.S. Senator Klobuchar said that: "Rukavina understood the dignity of hard work, and was a force for Iron Range workers and their families".<ref name=obit/> Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison remembered Rukavina as a "friend, public servant, and a fierce defender of working people" on a statement on Twitter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

The Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge was named after him after a bill introduced by Dave Tomassoni was passed by the Minnesota legislature. The bridge is located in the Bridgeview Pocket Park on the Mesabi Trail. A public ceremony was held on August 19, 2021, after the bridge was renamed. Guests at the ceremony included U.S. senator Amy Klobuchar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Project Vote Smart - Rep. Tom Rukavina Profile
• Follow the Money - Thomas Rukavina Campaign Contributions
• Rep. Rukavina Campaign Web Site
• Rukavina for Governor, 2010 web site