Rich Medved, acting King County assessor, suffers stroke

King County's acting assessor, Rich Medved, has been hospitalized after a stroke, his office reported Tuesday afternoon.

"His prognosis is unknown at this time," chief appraiser Lynn Gering said. She said the stroke occurred before Medved was to leave for work Tuesday morning.

"We're all wishing him a speedy recovery. It's just shocking," Gering said.

Cathy Allen, a consultant to Medved's election campaign for assessor and spokeswoman for the family, said he underwent surgery "for several hours."

"The good news is he came out of surgery quite well, so we are optimistic," Allen said. "We've decided to cancel appointments for the next week, but if anybody can be back on the campaign trail in a week it's Rich Medved."

Medved, 56, called his wife, Teresa, at work Tuesday morning and asked her to come home because he thought he was having a stroke, Allen said. His wife advised him to call 911, and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Allen said Medved was breathing on his own last night but would be sedated until today.

Teresa Medved and the couple's son Jake were with him at a hospital Allen declined to identify.

Gering, who takes over Medved's duties in his absence, informed Metropolitan King County Council members of his stroke Tuesday afternoon, telling them he cannot receive visitors. Medved took over as acting assessor last month when his boss, then-Assessor Scott Noble, resigned before being sentenced to jail for vehicular assault in connection with a drunken, wrong-way freeway accident. Noble and two women in another car were hurt.

Medved is in a tough race against Seattle Port Commissioner Lloyd Hara in a special election that will be held in November without a primary. Bob Blanchard, a certified public accountant from Redmond, also has announced his candidacy.

"I feel badly not only for Rich but for his wife and family," Hara said. "I just hope that he comes through it with a full recovery."

Medved, who was chief deputy assessor before he became acting assessor, is also a candidate for appointment by the County Council to serve until after the November election. He has worked in the assessor's office since 2002.

Medved's stroke came a day after the council deadlocked 4-4 on whether to appoint him or Gering, who is supporting Medved in the election. Gering, who has worked in the Assessor's Office since 1975, is next after Medved in the line of succession established by Noble.

County Councilmember Jane Hague, who is on vacation, is expected to break the tie Monday.

Medved surprised some members by applying for the appointed position after the council said it preferred to appoint an assessor who wasn't running for the post.

Medved, who is seeking elected office for the first time in his life, has been battling fiercely for endorsements from Democratic Party organizations and labor unions, Allen said.

She said she received an e-mail from him at 1:28 a.m. Tuesday talking about strategy for winning the appointment from the County Council and about his endorsement interview Monday with the Teamsters Joint Labor Council.

"He loved the campaign trail," she said.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com