Lost worker, resigned panelist

• Published May 16, 2008

A bit of news swirling around state folks today, as a Seattle television station revisits the disappearance of Gil Gilman and one of the governor’s controversial appointments resigns.

Gilman, remember, was a deputy of Sandy Matheson at the Department of Retirement Systems who disappeared during a hike in Olympic National Forest in June 2006. The report by KIRO 7 checks back in, reviewing Gilman’s unusual history in Army intelligence, and the possibility he “needed to” disappear. Fair warning: the story’s tone would suggest the info is brand new, but you can read a story by fellow McClatchy reporter Chris Mulick from 2007 with mostly the same account. The new report goes into more detail about Gilman’s military background, however, and says law enforcement continues to monitor his bank accounts for activity.

The appointee in the news is Charles Timchalk, a toxicologist Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed to the Pesticide Incident Reporting and Tracking Review Panel. I know – this is the land of controversy? Apparently so. The Seattle P-I Reports Timchalk was under fire from environmental groups for his ties to the Dow chemical company 10 years ago, and decided he’d rather not take the spot if it means wearing a target on his back.

The story suggests most of the debate is about Gregoire’s decision not to keep Timchalk’s two-term predecessor, Steve Gilbert, who was a member of the Washington Toxics Coalition.