Richland council candidate and GOP precinct officer dies over Labor Day
Donald “Donnie” Landsman, candidate for Richland City Council, died Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep.
He was 62.
Landsman died Aug. 31 at his Richland home, where he and his wife Julie were hosting their three children and their new grandson, 8 months.
Landsman was the leading candidate to succeed Ryan Lukson in the nonpartisan Position 4 seat on the Richland City Council.
He and John Maier, a recent Hanford High School student and son of another council member, Kurt Maier, received 59% and 38% of the vote in the August primary.
The primary eliminated a third candidate who drew less than 4% of the votes cast.
Under Washington law, Landsman’s name still will appear on the November ballot, said Brenda Chilton, Benton County’s auditor.
It he wins, the position will be vacant until the city council chooses an appointee under Richland’s city charter.
The seat will appear on the 2026 ballot for voters to choose a candidate to complete the balance of the four-year term.
Landsman was active in Benton County Republic Party politics, serving four terms as a precinct committee officer. He was also involved with ABATE of Washington, a nonprofit dedicated to pushing for fair laws for bikers.
He previously ran for the Richland City Council seat held by Terry Christensen in 2015 and for the Benton County Commission seat held by Jerome Delvin 2020.
He lost to Christensen in the general election and to Delvin in the primary.