Recount confirms Tom Konis as the next Spokane County assessor

Tom Konis, a Republican who has worked in the Assessor's Office for decades, has won the election for Spokane County assessor following a machine recount, according to the Spokane County auditor.

"I'm pretty happy," Konis tells the Inlander. "I can't get the smile off my face."

Konis was losing to Leonard Christian, also a Republican, on election night by more than 1,000 votes. As of last week, however, Konis had taken a slight lead of 152 votes. That margin prompted a machine recount. (If it was less than 150, it would have been a hand recount).

Ultimately, the recount extended Konis's lead to 153, says Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton. The machine didn't count a few ballots in the original count because they were marked with pencil, not pen. When those were counted, one more went in favor of Konis.

"We want to remind people: Mark your ballots with dark ink, not pencil," Dalton says.

The election will be certified Wednesday afternoon.

Konis credited his comeback to campaigning his team did in the days immediately before the election. Now, he says he's excited to get on the job. The office is already starting to implement some updates to addresses. And he notes that the Assessor's Office is working on getting tablets — instead of clipboards — to people who go out and do appraisals in the field. He says it's an example of progress the office is making currently that he plans on continuing. It should be done in eight to 12 weeks.

Konis lost the primary election by more than 10,000 votes to former state Rep. Christian. The two vied for the seat after former county assessor Vicki Horton announced her retirement. This November, Konis, though a Republican, did better than Christian in more Democratic-leaning parts of the county like the city of Spokane.

Now, Konis says he's looking toward the future.

"I'm excited to just get my life in order and get moving," he says.