.jpg "john-chelminiak")
John Chelminiak, photo from City of Bellevue
KOMO news is reporting that Bellevue city councilmember John Chelminiak was attacked by a bear in Chelan County:
The Wenatchee World reports that John Chelminiak was walking his dogs at his vacation home near Lake Wenatchee when he was attacked. He was first taken to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee for puncture wounds to his face and head, but was soon taken to Harborview so he could be treated by doctors who specialize in reconstructive surgery. Chelminiak’s family said in a statement that he is currently in stable condition.
Chelminiak is one of the three Bellevue city councilmembers that support Sound Transit’s B2M alignment. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Tragic. When I lived in Chelan County (Stehekin) in the summer of 2008, bear sightings were a weekly occurence in the summer and a daily occurrence in the autumn, but attacks were unheard of. Despite the thousands of bears in the Cascades, thankfully this kind of thing is pretty rare. I suppose a couple of attacks doesn’t make a trend, but the area around Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth had a couple of other attacks earlier this year, albeit with cougars. It’s always the case that the most likely areas for adverse encounters are the ambiguous areas between mountain homes and the wilderness, especially when domestic animals are involved.
You don’t have to go that far away to find black bears. My garbage can was raided a couple of weeks ago. It’s a regular occurance in my neighborhood in the Snoqualmie Valley.
And people laugh at me when I take my .38 camping with me. :/
Here’s to a quick recovery.
Mr. Chelminiak is a truly dedicated member of the council. It’s rare to see someone so straightedge in politics nowadays. I wish him a speedy recovery.
On the other hand, I’m wondering if the bear belongs to Kevin Wallace…
Does he take Amtrak to Lake Wenatchee?
His wife was interviewed on CBS this morning.
not to make light of a bad situation, but doesnt this guy sort of look like a real life version of Yogi the bear?
Why is it that one of my first thoughts was worry that the BCC would attempt to break the back of pro-B2M resistance and ramrod down B7 during his absence?
Why is it that I wondered whether the bear was paid to attack him? I’ve gotten *really* cynical, haven’t I?