Former State Sen. Ken Maddy Diagnosed With Lung Cancer
Recently retired state Sen. Ken Maddy of Fresno, Senate GOP minority leader for eight years, has been diagnosed with lung cancer, a friend said.
Doctors are trying to determine the severity of a tumor discovered in Maddy’s left lung, said his business associate Sal Russo, a longtime friend and political consultant.
Doctors found the tumor while testing Maddy, a nonsmoker, for a chronic pain in his shoulder. “He’s been in the office every day,” Russo said. “They are still doing tests. . . . His doctors told him it was something they think is treatable.”
Maddy, 64, represented parts of the San Joaquin Valley for 28 years in the Assembly and Senate, retiring because of term limits last year. A moderate, he served as GOP leader in the Senate from 1987 through August 1995, when he was ousted by conservatives.
He and Russo announced earlier this month that they would become partners with the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard in Sacramento.
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