Voter Letter Backs Knapp for Kootenai County Assessor in May Primary

Former Kootenai County chief deputy assessor Allyson Knapp picked up a public endorsement Saturday when a voter letter in the Coeur d'Alene Press urged Republican primary voters to replace incumbent Bèla Kovacs before the May 19 deadline. The letter argues Knapp can restore "effectiveness and professionalism" to an office whose decisions show up directly on every Kootenai County property tax bill.

The assessor's role is deceptively consequential for household finances. The office sets the assessed value of every parcel in the county, which forms the taxable base used to calculate annual property tax bills, process homeowner's exemption applications, and adjudicate appeals before the Board of Equalization. When those functions stall or produce contested results, the cost lands on individual owners, developers, and the county's own revenue forecasting.

Knapp built her professional record inside that office before leaving. She announced her candidacy in August 2025, telling voters that "taxpayers deserve accountability" from the position she once helped run as chief deputy. That institutional familiarity is central to her campaign's argument: that she can step in without a learning curve and redirect an office her supporters say has lost focus.

The KCRCC's refusal to endorse Kovacs adds organizational weight to the critique. The letter published Saturday notes the committee walked away from the incumbent this cycle, and calls that decision a recognition that he no longer merits their support. It also accuses Kovacs of choosing to "litigate, dissemble, and browbeat to distract voters" rather than answer substantive criticisms of his performance.

The race already generated controversy earlier this year. Late in 2025, Kovacs ruled Knapp ineligible for a homeowner's exemption on her Rathdrum property, which she has owned since 2018 and where she has been registered to vote since 2022. In January, county commissioners Bruce Mattare and Leslie Duncan voted to overturn that determination and uphold her exemption. Commissioner Marc Eberlein abstained, citing a personal relationship with Kovacs.

Before the May 19 primary, property owners evaluating the race should check whether their own exemption applications or assessment appeals have moved through the office on time, and whether either candidate has committed to a specific staffing or appeals-processing plan that addresses the county's rapid growth. Kootenai County's expanding residential base means the workload on valuation and appeals will only increase. Whoever wins the Republican primary in a county this lopsided will almost certainly hold the office through that growth curve, making the choice in the low-turnout primary more consequential than the ballot line suggests.