Bela Kovacs

Kovacs admitted to secretly recording at least 15 conversations with elected officials and employees, including an executive session; the Kootenai County prosecutor asked him to preserve recordings and devices

Reports Kovacs resigned from his Spokane County job in 2018 rather than be fired following an investigation into his behavior; multiple Spokane County staff described him as "paranoid," saying he forbade some employees from speaking to one another without him present

Coeur d'Alene Press editorial calling for Kovacs to resign.

Documents how the pattern of behavior in Kootenai County mirrors the conduct that led to his forced resignation from Spokane County.

Kovacs attempted to use his office to challenge the residency of a political opponent — commissioners blocked the effort.

The Idaho Court of Appeals ruled that the Kootenai County Commissioners' decision to cut Kovacs's salary from $90,000 to $45,000 was "arbitrary" and "an abuse of discretion," ordering retroactive reinstatement of his full salary plus cost-of-living adjustments. While the court's conduct criticisms of Kovacs stand, the retaliatory salary reduction was found to be legally unsound.

Coverage of Kovacs's appeal to have his salary reinstated after commissioners cut it in response to his conduct controversies.

Kovacs attempted to use his official authority to challenge the homestead exemption and Idaho residency of political rival Allyson Knapp. Commissioner Bruce Mattare (also KCRCC-endorsed) voted to block the challenge, stating the assessor produced no evidence of residency elsewhere.

The Idaho Court of Appeals ruled that the Kootenai County Commissioners' decision to cut Kovacs's salary from $90,000 to $45,000 was "arbitrary" and "an abuse of discretion," ordering retroactive reinstatement of his full salary plus cost-of-living adjustments. Note: while the salary reduction was found legally unsound, the documented conduct that prompted it — secret recordings, missed deadlines, and the pattern of behavior described elsewhere on this page — remains a matter of public record.