Kootenai County primary heats up over Mattare voter outreach calls

Online criticism of Bruce Mattare’s voter outreach calls on the eve of the May 19 primary has turned a county commission race into a test of trust as much as ideology in Kootenai County. Residents and commentators have framed the calls as either a routine campaign push or a sign of strain, while Mattare seeks another term on a board that controls county taxes, contracts and public funds.

The stakes are unusually high because the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners is the county’s three-member governing body and the chief administrator of public money. The primary will help decide who shapes county budgets, growth policy and spending priorities at a time when voters are already weighing levies for Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, Lakeland Joint School District No. 272 and Kellogg Joint School District No. 391.

Mattare is running in District 2 against Steve Em, while District 1 is open because incumbent Marc Eberlein did not seek reelection. In the District 1 race, Julie Hensley and John Padula are on the ballot. All four candidates appeared at an April 24 forum hosted by the North Idaho Federated Republican Women in Coeur d’Alene, where growth, taxes, civility in government and public trust dominated the discussion.

Mattare entered this election with a record that Republicans have pointed to since his first run. He won the May 2022 primary for commissioner, defeated Chris Fillios with about 70% of the vote and was sworn in on January 9, 2023. In his reelection pitch, he has emphasized growth management, accountability, metrics and fiscal responsibility.

Critics have aimed back at his handling of county finances, including the use of ARPA funds and cost overruns tied to the Justice Center Expansion Project. That criticism has now merged with complaints over campaign conduct, sharpening the sense that the race is about more than party labels in a county where distrust has become a central campaign theme.

Hensley has presented herself as a first-time candidate and a registered nurse, while Em has described himself as a blue-collar candidate and said he entered the race in part because no one else did. The Kootenai County GOP has also circulated recommended-candidate materials for the primary, underscoring how much influence the local party organization still carries in a contest where turnout, trust and late-stage outreach may decide who survives.