To the Editor:

You’ll recall that we’ve (Rome Concerned Citizens) come out in support of Julie Lassa as Senator in the 24th district because she has supported us on the Senate floor in our fight to protect our groundwater, lakes and streams.

Her opponent and dark money sources have spent $250,000 trying to convince you he will have your back on the issues. It seems he will say whatever his audience wants to hear, as he flip-flops on the groundwater issue. Let us set the record straight below.

In our district, there have been no less than 6 dark money attack ads against Julie Lassa from a D.C. based PAC. Her opponent, Patrick Testin says “he had nothing to do with it”. He is funded by the Wysockis and Heartland Farms, among other “big ag” sponsors.

On Friday, in an interview Testin said “We need to protect our water resources, without limiting their use in Central Wisconsin’s agriculture economy” — Really? Tell that to the people on Lake Huron and Long Lake, among others, and on the Little Plover River, all surrounded by high cap wells and decimated by over pumping of groundwater. For those of us in Rome and Saratoga, is that our future, to be ignored by another politician funded by the very people draining our lakes?

Consider that just two days earlier he tweeted “We all need to be good stewards of our water resources — we need to find a balance between our ag community and private well owners” — Hmmmm…, so which is it, unfettered pumping of groundwater, or finding a balance? History tells us you can’t do both.

As a voter, how do you trust a puppet so closely tied to the big ag industry and its lobbies to support your fight to preserve your drinking water wells, lakes and streams? Your core group has taken a stand, and we plan to vote the groundwater issue, regardless of our party affiliation.

Don Carrell
Rome, WI