The silly season is upon us. No, not Halloween or the distasteful commercial run-up to Christmas, but the political season which is now just 13 months away. It even sounds funny saying that. Thirteen months! We are becoming our worst nightmare.

One of the problems with long election campaigns is that candidates have to find something to establish their platform. In past campaigns, those of us in the tourism business and those in businesses that rely on tourism cringed every time a candidate decided to use the health of the lake or the effectiveness of the current Governor’s “clean and clear” program as the crucible upon which to forge their environmental credentials. Many of us have been involved in lake issues for a long time and some have been involved for a lifetime. Our political allegiances are as diverse as the colors of the rainbow. The commonality that many of us share is the belief that the signature program of the last eight years to clean up the lake is actually working. Sure, some reporters love to point out flaws and weaknesses to make their copy more edgy and some for other reasons. The fact is that when you actually talk to scientists and those who live water issues every day, they’ll tell you that but for the clean and clear program our lake and related water systems would be a whole lot worse for wear.

Ok, not to be accused of being an apologist for any person or party, I will admit that the ‘spin’ put on this program could have been a lot less ‘spun’. Fifty plus years of well meaning but wrong headed agricultural and municipal practices were not going to be remedied in six or seven years. Most of us cringed when we heard those words. But, the truth is that the systems, practices, alliances, research and activities put in place under the clean and clear program will bend the curve and over time make the lake even cleaner than it already is.

So my New Year’s wish (hey, if politicians can start campaigning 13 months before an election, I can have a New Year wish three months early) is that those who are campaigning for top elected offices focus on real environmental issues confronting us and refrain this year from telling us that there are monsters under our beds. Let’s not make the clean up of our lake a political football.

Thanks.