Rancho Mirage Mayor Steve Downs announced Thursday that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, saying his prognosis is good and that he expects to soon return to work at city hall.

Downs, a former planning commissioner who was appointed to the council in 2021 and elected to a four-year term in 2022, was absent from Thursday’s city council meeting. The mayor explained his absence in a prepared statement read by Mayor Pro Tem Ted Weill at the start of the meeting.

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to be with you at today’s city council meeting. I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had surgery this morning at Eisenhower Medical Center,” Downs said in the statement.

“Fortunately, my cancer has been detected at an early stage, and the prognosis is good,” he added. “I expect a full recovery and a return to city hall in the coming weeks.”

Downs, 78, noted prostate cancer is “not uncommon” among aging men, and he encouraged all men over 50 to begin regular testing and prostate screening.

“As in my case, early detection is important in successful treatment options,” Downs said. “Please keep a good thought for me over the next few after-surgery days. I look forward to being back at city hall soon.”

Weill wished the mayor “nothing but the best” in his recovery and thanked him for raising awareness about treatment, and the other members of the council echoed his sentiments in later remarks. Downs has held the mayoral title since the city’s annual rotation ceremony late last year, and the role will rotate to the current mayor pro tem at the end of this year.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com 

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rancho Mirage Mayor Steve Downs has treatable prostate cancer