1968. It was a year with many marks on history. Richard Nixon won the White House. Apollo 8 orbited the moon. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

Locally, Miss Budweiser, a vintage 2,000-horsepower hydroplane, wowed crowds on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Museum of North Idaho was officially born. And the fate of a huge lakeside hill in the city’s core was up in the air. More on that later.

In that same year, Coeur d’Alene was also a town with a fresh face to politics: A newly elected 31-year-old city councilman who took his seat unassumingly and with great, if not humble, intentions.

Little did this aspiring politician know that his first stint at politics would go on. And on.

To offer a great understatement, Ron Edinger is a Coeur d’Alene institution. An ever-present fixture of city government whose decisions and influence have spanned decades. He’s had his hand in shaping the face of the city for generations.

Edinger says his record-breaking tenure was not anticipated. But he’s appreciated every moment. Asked if he believed, way back when, that his reign would span 52 years, he responds dryly:

“If you told me back then, I’d say you’re crazy,” he says.

Worthy reflections

Edinger, 83, shared his municipal memories recently as he sat down with the love of his life and wife of 62 years, Nancy.

Succinctly, he sums it up.

“Oh, I had a great time. Learned a lot. Made a difference, I hope,” he said. “I’ve always tried to be honest with people and do the right thing.”

For anybody who has followed Coeur d’Alene politics over the decades, there are a few words that sum up Edinger: Blue-collar. Empathic. Listener. Personable.

It’s those traits that got Edinger elected time after time. And always by wide margins. His constituents and former colleagues agree.

“There is a reason why you have always been the highest vote-getter,” former assistant city administrator Jon Ingalls said in a recent tribute to Edinger. “It’s because of your incredible passion for the city, your tireless commitment and your unquestionably high ethical standards.”

Thoughtful, but lately a man of few words, Edinger pondered his longevity with the city — why he kept running for election in a political atmosphere that sometimes, though infrequently, got nasty as he sought term after term.

“I have a lot of interest in the city of Coeur d’Alene; it’s my home,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do the right thing.”

Edinger moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1955 when he was a lad of 19. His wife, Nancy, is a lifer; born and raised here.

Those “right things” the veteran councilman speaks of are projects that have forever changed the course of Coeur d’Alene.

Things like helping to save the city’s crown jewel, Tubbs Hill, from private development back in the 1970s when he was serving his single stint as mayor. Also during that period, Independence Point downtown was dedicated to the public. And the purchase of Idaho Water Company allowed the city to prudently take over water services.

“While Ron was mayor, the city made so many huge and progressive moves on so many fronts,” says longtime friend Tony Stewart, who assisted Edinger in every election since 1970 and served as campaign manager in his final run for office four year ago.

“Ron had great support from the middle income,” says Stewart, a former North Idaho College political science professor and long time leader with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

It was that last run for office that was the most difficult for Edinger to contemplate. Having just experienced some serious health setbacks, he wondered if it wasn’t time to hang up his hat.

Then came the calling.

“People came out of the blue,” Nancy Edinger says. “Phone calls, messages... they all wanted to see Ron run again.”

Stewart also made a push.

“I told Ron that if he’d run one more time, I’d serve as his campaign manager,” Stewart says.

Edinger couldn’t resist. Despite physical issues that made movement more labored, he ran. And, of course, won.

But his final term hasn’t been easy.

“The last few years, getting to a council meeting has been kind of hell,” he says with a chuckle.

But he’s still appeared, like he has for decades. To take part in decisions that will continue to shape this growing city. Decisions, some still pending, but under his watchful eye.

Edinger is confident he left his post in good hands.

Former Coeur d’Alene police sergeant Christie Wood was sworn in last week. Wood also served on the Coeur d’Alene School Board and currently serves on the North Idaho College Board of Trustees and the Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force.

Edinger strongly endorsed his replacement and the respect is mutual.

“Ron’s always been a role model as a councilman and someone I looked up to,” Wood says. “He’s very personable and has been an incredible city leader.”

Growing, growing

Edinger said the biggest issue facing the city as he departs is the same topic that faced city officials more than 50 years ago when he took office. The population of Coeur d’Alene back then was about 6,000. Today, it’s over 50,000.

And rampant growth is taking its toll.

“I have grandkids who can’t afford to live here because the rent’s so high,” he says. “The council needs to get a handle on that.”

Though his work on the council has officially ended, don’t expect Edinger to fade into the sunset.

“I’m going to miss it, but I’ve still got a TV and I’ll watch,” he says. “I might even go down there from time to time. If there’s something the council does that I don’t think it right or don’t appreciate, I’ll let them know.”

SIDEBAR:

MAN of MANY MEETINGS

50 years … a whole lotta meetings

Edinger’s record-setting tenure as an elected official for the city of Coeur d’Alene included countless meetings and check-in visits to City Hall.

It’s impossible to pin down just how huge his commitment was. Based on 600 months of service to the city, here’s the Press’ best guesses:

- 1,500 council meetings

- 2,400 check-in visits to City Hall

- 1,200 subcommittee meetings

- 600 parks and recreation meetings

In his decades as a fixture at City Hall, that totals an incredible 5,700 visits.