Interim King County assessor Rich Medved dies

Rich Medved, who served as interim King County assessor earlier this year, died early Monday after a stroke he suffered July 14. He was 56.

Metropolitan King County Council Chairman Dow Constantine, in a news release announcing Mr. Medved's death, said Mr. Medved "served the people of King County with distinction for many years as Chief Deputy Assessor under former Assessor Scott Noble, and was a steadying force within the office."

Mr. Medved joined the Assessor's Office in 2002 and became chief deputy assessor the following year. He took over management of the office in June after Noble, who was sentenced to eight months in jail for vehicular assault, resigned.

Born in Tacoma Jan. 15, 1953, Richard A. Medved was raised in Olympia and earned a master's degree in business administration at the University of Washington.

Before his stroke, he had intended to run for the assessor's job in this fall's election.

According to a biography put together for that campaign, Mr. Medved was a lifelong Democrat who campaigned for many candidates, beginning with the late U.S. Sen. Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, who died in 1983.

Mr. Medved lived most of his adult life in Mount Vernon, where for nearly 20 years he was the announcer for high-school football and basketball games. He also coached girls' basketball teams.

In the early 1990s, he served as public-works director for Skagit County.

Before coming to work for King County, he was a real-estate developer, building housing subdivisions and shopping centers. He had climbed Mount Rainier and enjoyed golf, reading, bicycling, skiing, surfing and wind surfing.

Mr. Medved, who lived in West Seattle, leaves behind a wife, Teresa, four children and six grandchildren.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com