If Democrats think William Rankin sounds too good to be true, he probably is.
Never mind the military service and swooning female fan club. From his questionable Florida residency to a wildly embellished resume, the slick, pretty boy from Cincinnati looking to unseat CFO Jeff Atwater just doesn't add up.
Allison Tant might have another Allie Braswell on her hands. Only, instead of bankruptcies, with Rankin it's a touch of the Pinocchios.Wasn't she paying attention on this one, either?
Maybe she let Tampa Bay Times' Adam Smithvet Rankin for her. Smith ran his campaign press release verbatim -- plus a big headline, "Meet William Rankin, the Dem challenging CFO Atwater." Itdidn't just set the candidate on a pedestal, it fitted him with wings.
I'm thinking nobody did any real due diligence on this guy -- until now. Until Brooke Knight. Did you, by any chance, see herTuesday story, "Democratic Candidate for Florida CFO Has Questionable Background"?
Knight, a reporter from the community-forum publication Tamarac Talk, laid out the results of her investigation of Florida's only Democratic candidate for chief financial officer.
Turns out William David Rankin is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.
Well, OK, maybe not that fake. Rankin, 53, did a little bit of the things he claims -- a very little bit -- and a lot of things he fails to mention. But, the bottom line reporter Knight reveals is, he clearly "has zero insurance experience, other than what he buys for his car, boat, or renters insurance, and has never worked inside a banking or financial institution in any capacity."
Some of Knight's other reveals:
-- There is no evidence that Rankin has ever owned a home in Florida. What he's had are "dozens of rented residences, mostly short-term."
-- Ask Rankin an insurance question and he'll ask you right back to explain the terminology. Even PIP insurance had him stumped -- what's that?At the same time Rankin is asking attorneys for their money, he's asking them to teach him the job. Says Knight, "Being a former cop in the Army isnt going to qualify him for this one."
-- More on Rankin's qualifications: "As a wounded veteran, he is not in the market for health insurance because hes covered by the VA. He holds neither an MBA nor a JD. Hes not a CPA. He doesnt even have a degree in accounting or finance. He holds a B.A. in business administration that had a focus on economics from St. Xavier University in Cincinnati. That means he took a few extra classes on economics than the general degree would otherwise require."
--Rankin enlisted in the Army out of high school, served several years as a military policeman, then qualified for selection as a member of the Criminal Investigation Command, or CID Special Agency that investigates contract and monetary fraud within the agency and with their vendors. That was until his medical discharge. His total length of service was 11 years. That means he wasn't conducting fraud investigations for 11 years. As Knight says, "That would be impossible considering the CID qualification instructions and guidelines require both college credits and time in service."
-- Since leaving military service, Rankin has had a host of short-term positions with mysterious endings, froma minor job in the state of Ohios Treasury Department, to a debatable position with the 2000 Census, to director for a ballet workout center, to ownership of a security firm (the security firm is current). None of this includes the time he wasbeing co-founder and publisher of Millionaire Lifestyle Magazine, "an online publication for uber-wealthy jet-setters." Check out the magazine's bio page, where he never mentions his military service. "In fact," Knight points out, "he implies that he is highly wealthy and an international man of mystery who needs better service than the run-of-the-mill concierge services provide."
-- Oh, yes, and Rankin has this in common with gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist: He is/was a Republican who claims the party abandoned him, so now he's a Democrat.
You know, I shouldn't climb all over Adam Smith for his blown-up press release when I didn't do any more diligence on Rankin than he did. Actually, I just ignored him -- probably a worse sin, considering I remembered that in 2012, Rankin made a big splash about running on the Democratic ticket against Martin David Kiar in the District 34 Florida Senate race. But he never even qualified to make the primary ballot.
Good job, Brooke Knight.
Hard to see how Rankin, even with those good looks, is going to embellish his way into Florida voters' hearts when they get to know him even better. As Knight said, "This candidate is Atwaters dream come true."
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423.
