Treasurer talks assessor’s recordings, new Kootenai Health CEO
COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County Treasurer Steve Matheson called again Wednesday for secret recordings created by embattled assessor Bèla Kovacs to be made public.
“I believe every recording he takes is a public record and subject to a public record request,” Matheson said. “I would prefer every record be released immediately.”
Matheson spoke to more than 30 people gathered at Seasons of Coeur d’Alene for the monthly meeting of North Idaho Republican Women. As the guest speaker, he fielded questions from the audience, including one about recent revelations that Kovacs has secretly recorded conversations with his colleagues, including elected officials.
Commissioners met in executive session Tuesday morning to discuss the matter with prosecuting attorney Stan Mortensen, without Kovacs or Chief Deputy Assessor Ben Crotinger present.
They emerged from the closed session without making any decision.
The content of the recordings remains unknown to the public. In an email response to a public records request submitted by The Press, Kovacs said two of the 15 audio recordings he previously provided to Matheson are “considered to be content of an executive session” and he won’t release them to the newspaper.
Kovacs said legal counsel representing his office advised that any recording of an executive session would be exempt from disclosure via public record request but provided no statutory basis for the denial.
“In late November, a complaint was filed on the website of the Idaho (Attorney General’s) Office requesting a review and investigation of questionable conduct and actions, including at such executive session(s),” Kovacs said via email. “The matter is currently pending a review by the Idaho AG’s Office and no further information is available.”
The assessor said his office needs until Friday, if not longer, to review the remaining 13 audio files and redact any information that is exempt from disclosure.
“He recorded employee interactions that are probably HIPAA protected,” Matheson said Wednesday. “Those shouldn’t be released, obviously.”
Idaho law provides that recording conversations is legal with the consent of at least one person involved in the conversation. But Matheson questioned whether Kovacs may have illegally recorded some members of the public.
In at least one recording involving Matheson and one of his employees, Matheson said people who were at the counter in the treasurer’s office can also be heard speaking. Those community members weren’t part of Kovacs’ conversation and were unaware they were being recorded.
Last month, Kovacs told commissioners his intention when making the recordings was to create “personal notes” not subject to public disclosure.
Under Idaho law, “personal notes” created by public officials solely for their own use are not public records “as long as such personal notes are not shared with any other person or entity.”
At that time, Mortensen contended the recordings are public records and should be preserved.
Matheson said he recently submitted a complaint to the Idaho State Tax Commission, indicating Kootenai County is “at risk of not providing fair and equitable valuations” for all properties within the county. Providing these valuations is the responsibility of each county’s assessor.
“I’ve come to the point where I think the county now is at risk and it’s incumbent upon me to step forward and try to fix this and do what I can,” Matheson said.
Matheson, who is a Kootenai Health trustee, also weighed in on the hospital’s recent leadership change. Kootenai Health announced Tuesday that Jamie Smith will be the new CEO, beginning in March.
The hospital conducted a six-month national search to replace longtime CEO Jon Ness, who announced last July that he would retire in early 2024.
“Jon Ness was an outstanding CEO, there’s no question about it,” Matheson said. “We have to fill some really big shoes.”
Matheson indicated the three finalists were strong contenders and he believes any one of them would do well in the position. But he said Smith was his first choice.
“He’s just got the right personality,” Matheson said. “He walks into a room and you know who’s in charge. I think we made an excellent choice.”
Attendees also discussed the Idaho Republican Party’s presidential nominating caucus, which is set for March 2. In a caucus, all voters must attend in person to participate. There is no option for absentee voting.
Some attendees said a caucus makes it harder for Idaho Republicans to make their voices heard. For some, caucusing is impossible.
“I think it’s terrible that so many people are disenfranchised and unable to vote in the caucus even though they’re registered Republicans,” said Mary Souza, a former state senator who represented District 4 from 2014 to 2022. “They might be infirm, they might have to work in the evenings, they might have young children and they can’t get away.”
With no option for absentee voting, deployed military service members and students who are Idaho residents but attend college out of state will also be unable to participate.
“My concern is that we’re being ignored,” Souza said. “Those people who are being disenfranchised have no voice at all.”
Mary Souza