Bela Kovacs, Kootenai County Assessor

Secretly recorded 15+ colleagues

2018 - 2023

He admitted secretly recording at least 15 conversations with county officials and employees.
The county prosecutor told him to preserve all the recordings as evidence.
A 22-page Spokane County HR investigation shows he resigned in lieu of termination there in 2018.
Spokane employees called him paranoid; the same patterns followed him to Kootenai County.

Sources (2)

2022 - 2024

Commissioners cut his salary from $90,000 to $45,000 over his conduct.
He went to court to restore his pay.
The court ruled the cut illegal and ordered it reversed; the conduct findings remain on the public record.

Sources (2)

September 2025 - June 2026

He used his official authority to challenge a political opponent's Idaho residency and homestead exemption.
County commissioners voted 2-0 to block him.
He adopted a policy letting him fire employees who run against him or "assist" a rival's candidacy.
Employees said the policy covered personal conduct outside work, such as putting up a yard sign.
Knapp defeated Kovacs in the May 19 primary with 65% of the vote and 17,451 votes; commissioners certified the results May 27.
Kovacs filed a civil complaint on June 18, 2026, asking the court to void Knapp's win and remove her from the November ballot, representing himself.
The county must hire outside counsel; the prosecutor's office has a conflict from advising parties in the earlier Board of Equalization dispute.

Sources (4)

2022 - 2026

More than 30 employees issued a formal vote of no confidence in April 2022.
The Coeur d'Alene Press called on him to resign. He stayed.
Experienced staff left citing a "toxic work environment."
He has gone through five chief deputies in five years.
He claimed credit for speeding up building permits; his office has nothing to do with permits.

Sources (4)

2022 - 2025

His office missed critical deadlines for completing property rolls.
He requested $260,000 for outside appraisers to do work his own office could not complete.
He declared his office would stop administering solid waste fees, then skipped the meeting called to resolve it.
His records request to county departments generated nearly 24,000 responsive emails.
He put an employee on indefinite leave without following HR procedure, risking a $20,000 liability deductible.
He announced plans to tax a legally exempt city-owned parking lot without consulting commissioners.

Sources (4)