Single issue voters

Bassett Creek

I had a chance to experience first had what it must be like for politicians to deal with constituents who are single issue voters. As a volunteer commissioner with the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) I went out to speak with a gathering of residents of a lake in the watershed.  My goal was to engage them in a visioning exercise to help develop goals for the watershed for the next 10 year plan.

I soon discovered there was one thing, and one thing only on the minds of most of the 40 or so participants in the room.  They wanted the weir on their lake to be a variable one, so tha
t the lake level could be elevated to a higher level in the spring, in order to reduce its dramatic lowering later in the summer.

Sadly, it seems that the primary driver for this drop in the lake level is likely the result of global climate change, something which we can not easily remedy.  I also noted to the group that should they withhold water for their lake it would impact those of us downstream.  That didn't seem to be of much concern...

I must say that despite my inability to personally make this change for them, the group was for the most part well mannered, with some of the more vocal participants thanking me for coming out to speak/listen to them.