CALIFORNIA: Former Rancho Mirage Mayor Scott Hines Commits Suicide

Via the Desert Sun:

Former Rancho Mirage Mayor and City Councilman Scott Hines died Saturday night. The Riverside County Coroner's office confirmed Sunday that Hines, 45, was pronounced dead shortly after 8:20 p.m. in his Palm Springs home. A cause of death was not listed. His biological mother, Cindy Gough Montgomery, wrote about his death in a Facebook posting. "We had a horrible tragedy in our family last night," she wrote. "My son, Scott, lost his long time battle with depression and died last night. Please keep him and our family in your prayers." Hines, a father of four, was adopted and raised by Delores and Michael Hines, with Montgomery re-entering his life when he was 22, she later wrote. In another posting, Hines' husband, Kevin Blessing, said "I am less of a person today as I will no longer have this man's wonderful energy around me, at the same time I am so blessed to have had him in my life in the first place." Hines said he was moving to Palm Springs after he was ousted in the April 2014 Rancho Mirage City Council election.

According to his husband, Hines had been diagnosed with liver cancer. Hines last appeared on JMG during his 2014 city council campaign when Rancho Mirage voters received anonymous anti-Hines flyers that spelled out the word "FAGS" in its headlines. (Tipped by JMG reader Eduardo)