KOVACS: Fresh eyes an asset

Just look at bela4assessor.com to see that County Assessor, Bela Kovacs, wants to fix some things that are badly in need of repair: Department computers don’t communicate with state computers; “broken” appraisal software must be worked-around manually, creating additional workload; employee compensation might be inadequate to attract and maintain quality people; property taxes are subsidizing vehicle licensing because the state hasn’t updated licensing fees.

The degree to which he ferrets out each issue speaks to his diligence, his grasp of the task at hand, and his ability and qualifications for the job. And, significantly, he is a relatively new set of “outside” eyes looking at the “inside” issues.

Apparently, Kovac’s opponent, being in the department for, like, nine years, feels he should be “anointed” assessor because assessors have “always” been groomed and elected from within. A philosophy that there’s no need to seek improvement because “we’ve always done it this way” is a recipe for stagnation, inefficiency and bureaucratic rigor mortis. The fact that some in the department would sign letters-of-no-confidence in Kovacs, who strives to improve their conditions, sounds a little like a “good ol’ boys” club that doesn’t want anybody poking around.

Bela Kovacs targets fairness among taxpayers, better support tools for staff, improvement in the efficiency of the software essential to the job, improvement in the livelihoods and morale of those in the department, and transparency in the whole process. Why would you not vote for Bela Kovacs for Assessor?

JOHN MALLOY

Post Falls