LAKE STEVENS – Richard L. Maddalena, a candidate for City Council, has died.
Maddalena, 56, was running for Position 2 against incumbent Neal Dooley. A retired mechanical contractor, he previously lost bids for the council in 1999 and 2001. He also lost a bid in 2003 to unseat Mayor Lynn Walty.
Maddalena was found in his bed by his son Thursday morning, Walty said Thursday night.
His top issue in the campaign this year was annexations. He said the city hasn’t been honest with some residents about annexations, and he wanted to ensure that residents have a voice in whether to join the city and where the annexation borders should be.
He also wanted to bring a senior center to town, but was opposed to a new library downtown, instead wanting a regional one in the city’s urban growth area.
Maddalena has been active with urban growth issues since 1995. He also supported parks and revitalization of downtown.
The outspoken Maddalena told The Herald during the campaign this year that he was most proud of stopping a shopping center planned for Highway 92, adding that a bogus traffic study was used. He was an activist for property rights and public participation in government, playing the role of community watchdog.
For fun, he collected old baseball cards and donated them to area hospitals for sick children. He also coached Little League for 18 years.
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