Mattare KO's Fillios in commissioner race
COEUR d’ALENE — Candidates backed by the local GOP in Kootenai County races were well ahead in Tuesday’s Republican primary election.
No other parties had contested races in the county.
The results were unofficial as of 12:50 a.m., with 74% of precincts reporting.
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 2
Challenger Bruce Mattare had a significant lead over incumbent Chris Fillios, garnering 69% of the vote.
Mattare had 16,684 votes at press time, while Fillios received 7,293.
Throughout his campaign, Mattare promised to increase funding to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Mattare was Sheriff Bob Norris’s campaign manager in 2020.
He spoke out against any potential changes to Kootenai County’s form of government and opposed putting the matter on the November ballot.
Fillios repeatedly criticized Mattare’s involvement with BlueHippo Funding, LLC, a company that allegedly preyed on consumers with bad credit and was fined $13 million by the Federal Trade Commission.
Mattare will run unopposed in November’s general election, for a four-year term.
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3
Though incumbent Leslie Duncan ran unopposed in the Republican primary election, she garnered 20,972 votes. She was first elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2018.
In November, she’ll face Democrat Ruben Miranda, who received 2,518 votes as of 12:50 a.m.
The winner will serve a two-year term.
COUNTY CLERK
Jennifer Locke led opponent Mike Bauer by a wide margin, receiving 18,182 votes — about 78%.
Locke has been the county’s chief deputy clerk since 2017.
Bauer received 5,029 votes as of press time. He ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2020.
In addition to local elections, the county clerk oversees four other departments: auditor, district court, recorder and county assistance.
COUNTY ASSESSOR
Embattled Kootenai County Assessor Béla Kovacs received about 57% of the vote at press time.
Kovacs was appointed to the office of assessor in May 2020, after the death of his predecessor.
The race was a contentious one, marked by criticism from more than 30 Assessor’s Office employees who publicly pleaded with voters not to elect Kovacs.
Staff cited Kovacs' inexperience, lack of interest in the daily workings of the office and alleged disrespect as reasons for their lack of support.
Kovacs had 13,631 votes as of 12:50 a.m.
His opponent, Bob Scott, is the county’s residential lead appraiser. He’s worked in the Assessor’s Office for nine years. He received 10,192 votes.
COUNTY CORONER
Dr. Duke Johnson had a 25-point lead over his opponent, Dr. Mark Manteuffel, as of 12:50 a.m.
Johnson received 14,820 votes, or 62% of the total. Though he began his career working in an emergency room in Southern California, he said he later found his calling in preventative medicine.
Manteuffel, who worked in emergency medicine for 26 years at Kootenai Health, received 37% of the vote.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE — DISTRICT 1
Regardless of their political affiliation, voters had the opportunity to weigh in on the county’s only contested judicial race.
In Kootenai County, Judge Rich Christensen received 14,128 votes — about 61% of the total.
Former Idaho Gov. Butch Otter appointed Christensen to the bench in 2013. He has been the administrative district judge for three years, after being selected by peer vote.
Christensen’s opponent, Post Falls resident Stanley Mortensen, is a Kootenai County prosector.
Mortensen received 8,818 votes in Kootenai County.
Idaho’s First Judicial District encompasses the five northern counties, so other counties must be counted to determine the winner.
