Donald Eugene Gilman (April 20, 1934 – July 18, 2005)Donald Eugene Gilman
, ''Arizona Republic'' (July 21, 2005), p. B8. was an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

from 1980 to 1984. Gilman served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and was a reservist. While serving as mayor of

Kenai, Alaska Kenai (, ; Dena'ina: ; , ''Kenay'') is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. By road, it is 158 miles southwest of Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,100 in 2010, the fiftee ...

, in 1980, Gilman was elected to a seat in the state senate vacated by the retirement of Senate President

Clem Tillion Clement Vincent Tillion Jr. (July 3, 1925 – October 13, 2021) was an American politician. He was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1963 to 1975 and the Senate from 1975 to 1981. He was the Senate president from 1979 to 1 ...

. In April 1984, Gilman stated that he did not intend to run for reelection to the seat. In December 1984, the Alaska Environmental Lobby scored the departing Gilman as tied with two other members (one Republican and one Democrat) as the lowest-rated member of the state senate on their evaluation of environmental issues. Gilman again ran for mayor of Kenai in 1987, and was "considered the heavy favorite" in the race. After winning that contest, he was also appointed to the Pacific Northwest Hazardous Waste Advisory Council by Alaska Governor

Steve Cowper Stephen Cambreleng Cowper (born August 21, 1938) is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He was governor during the 1989 ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill. Cowper is the CEO of Steve Cowper & Asso ...

. As mayor, in 1992 he traveled to

Sakhalin Island Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

in the Russian Far East to meet with Russian officials and compare efforts to develop oil and gas reserves with those in Alaska. In 1996, still serving as mayor, he expressed concern with opposition by Governor Tony Knowles to federal plans to allow offshore oil and gas drilling in

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet (; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding ...

."Knowles Opposed to Cook Inlet Lease Sale", ''Daily Sitka Sentinel'' (April 1, 1996), p. 1, 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilman, Donald 1934 births 2005 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Alaska Mayors of places in Alaska Republican Party Alaska state senators Alaska Republicans 20th-century members of the Alaska Legislature