Ryan Rauschenberger is the former

Tax Commissioner A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, the 24th person to serve in that role. Governor

Jack Dalrymple John Stewart Dalrymple III (born October 16, 1948) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 32nd Governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th Lieutenant Govern ...

appointed Rauschenberger, the son of Dalrymple's Chief of Staff Ron Rauschenberger, to the role in 2013 after the resignation of

Cory Fong Cory Fong (born August 6, 1972, Great Falls, Montana) is a North Dakota public servant. He is a Republican, and the former state State Tax Commissioner. Fong was appointed Tax Commissioner in 2005 by Governor John Hoeven following the resignat ...

. Rauschenberger announced he would resign effective January 3, 2022.

Alcoholism treatment

While drinking on the afternoon of September 3, 2014, Rauschenberger lent his vehicle to his friend Jesse Larson, who was also intoxicated. While driving Rauschenberger's vehicle, Larson rolled the vehicle, damaging its front end. Police cited Larson for

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

and reckless driving and had him taken to an emergency room for minor injuries. After the accident, Rauschenberger explained that he had been undergoing treatment for an alcohol addiction and that he met Larson while the two were undergoing inpatient treatment at a local drug and alcohol treatment center. Two days after the accident, Rauschenberger announced he was taking a leave of absence from his duties as Tax Commissioner and his reelection campaign to dedicate himself to his alcoholism treatment. His official duties were given to Deputy Tax Commissioner Joe Morrissette, and his reelection campaign continued without the candidate until his return. Rauschenberger was reelected that November. On September 30, 2017, a little more than three years after the previous incident, Rauschenberger was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of intoxicating liquors. According to police, Rauschenberger's

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...

was .206, more than two and a half times North Dakota's legal limit. Around 11:30 a.m on November 15, 2021, police once again brought Rauschenberger to jail, this time for detoxification, rather than a crime. Rauschenberger had tried to check into a Bismarck hotel room late that morning, but when told it was not ready, shut himself into a different room that was being cleaned. Police determined he was "intoxicated beyond the point of being able to take care of himself" and since Rauschenberger was unable or unwilling to contact someone sober to take him, he was taken to jail. No charges were filed, and he was released later that day. The following day, Rauschenberger announced his resignation from office.

Electoral history

References

21st-century American politicians Living people North Dakota Republicans North Dakota Tax Commissioners University of North Dakota alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{NorthDakota-politician-stub