EAST PROVIDENCE — When Charles Mello Jr. began his lectures, City Councilman Bryan Silva would often get up and leave midway through the speech.

Other elected officials, such as School Committee members, let him go on without replying, even though they might have wanted to defend what Mello called their “wasteful spending.”

Even residents were not immune to his criticisms. Mello stood at the podium once, his face getting red, as he condemned the lack of attendance at council and school board meetings. He said he was disgusted and sick of people saying they have “Townie Pride” when most don’t participate.

That was the passionate character familiar to everyone who did attend the meetings. For those who didn’t, Mello’s opinions were made clear in his frequent letters to the editor.

A battle with cancer and possibly another illness forced Mello to decrease his media submissions and appearances at meetings this summer.

The police found the Willett Avenue resident dead in his apartment Saturday after his friends, John “Jack” Fahey and William Murphy, filed a missing persons report. The police do not suspect foul play and a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner’s office said a cause of death has yet to be determined.

Mello, a former teacher in northern Rhode Island, was 53 years old.

There’s a current search for Mello’s relatives — Fahey believes he grew up in Bristol, then moved to Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan — because his East Providence buddies want to give him a proper farewell. On Tuesday night, the council had a moment of silence for him and Richard Croke, another public figure who died last week.

“Some people took his comments personally, but that wasn’t his intention,” Fahey said. “He was dedicated to the betterment of people.”

Mello bashed the council when he believed the members weren’t hiring an affirmative action director quickly enough. He told Silva he should apologize for telling the audience to “shut up” during a contentious meeting earlier this year in March. The apology came two weeks after Mello’s request.

And when former Supt. Jacqueline Forbes said the district doesn’t own a scanner, Mello got up and said, “Does anyone have a scanner to donate to the School Department? Anyone? I mean, c’mon…. ”

He also spoke about incorporating a local government course in the school district that would involve attending various city meetings, keeping a weekly journal, and writing a paper at the end of the semester.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to see students here not just when their teachers ask them,” he said in 2006. “I don’t want to see kids here for their awards and then leave. … It all builds better citizenship and will better enhance them for the future.”

His favorite subject seemed to be the city’s sewer treatment facility and its dire need for improvements. He continually reminded the council about the state’s mandate to upgrade and comply with new standings and appeared to know more than most officials on the issue.

And then there was the time the School Committee changed its bylaws to prevent repetitive discussion and facilitate proper decorum. Among the nine guidelines: speakers should maintain a courteous and civil tone; speakers are limited to five minutes and can address a topic only once; students and employees should not be the subject of any discussion; the chairperson has the discretion to stop a speaker if the comments are deemed inappropriate.

The changes were prompted by comments from residents — Mello was one — at a meeting this past April. City Canvassing Authority member Thomas Riley and former Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. chastised members of the committee for a vote they took and Chairwoman Mildred Morris said, “You are not going to insult us like that.”

Others chimed in and then Mello went up to the microphone. Morris tried to limit him and she repeatedly tapped her gavel at him.

Instead of stopping, he said, “Bang your gavel all you want. You can’t turn off my microphone. I pay for that microphone.”

After learning about Mello’s death, School Department spokesman Robert Rodericks said, “He was a character and I enjoyed talking to him. I’m sure he’ll be missed.”

apina@projo.com