Maricopa County supervisor candidate Sinclaire found dead

Joel Sinclaire, an attorney and candidate for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, was found dead in his Scottsdale home Sunday afternoon.

He was 46.

It is unknown how Sinclaire died, his friends said Monday afternoon. His mother discovered him in the bed of the Scottsdale guest house he shared with his wife around 1 p.m. Sunday.

“I'm just devastated, I'm absolutely in shock,” said Marilyn Fox, a friend who also ran for the board in November. “We have no idea what happened. I saw him on Monday at my meeting a week ago. He was happy, everything seemed to be fine.”

Sinclaire hoped to unseat longtime Supervisor Don Stapley, a Republican, in the District 2 race.

“I see that there's an absolute need for new leadership,” Sinclaire told The Arizona Republic in October. “It's an incredibly important position. My belief is that public officials, no matter how small the race or the position is, need to be held accountable.”

A small business attorney, it was Sinclaire's first run for public office.

“He'd been very active in Maryland, where he came from, then in the years he'd been here, helped other candidates,” said Mark Manoil, Maricopa County Democratic Party chairman. “He stepped up when we asked him to run (for county Supervisor). He took it very seriously, and worked hard on his campaign. I'm just saddened and shocked by this news.”

Check back at azcentral.com for updates.

Reach the reporter at (602) 444-4712 or yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com.

Joel Sinclaire, a candidate for District 2, was challenging Republican Don Stapley.