On water, I am still learning, and that is the point

Let me tell you plainly where I am on Utah's water. I am not an expert. I filed for this race in August, and I have spent the weeks since reading, asking questions, and finding out how much I do not know.

I could pretend otherwise. I would rather tell you the truth and then tell you what I do about it.

What I do is listen to the people who have spent their careers on this. One of them is Dr. Ben Abbott, a BYU ecosystem ecologist whose research and public advocacy have brought real attention to the Great Salt Lake.

What I value in his work is not that he has the answer. It is that he gets people who do not usually sit at the same table into the same conversation. Citizens, agricultural leaders, and policymakers, talking about solutions meant to last longer than one legislative session.

Utah's water problems are not tomorrow's problems. They are here, and the hardest thing about them is that the real fixes take longer than any one person's time in office.

What I will promise is narrow and I mean it. I will take the science seriously, including when it is inconvenient. I will not claim certainty I have not earned. And I will keep learning out loud, where you can watch me do it and tell me when you think I have it wrong.

A representative who already knows everything has stopped listening. I would rather be the one still asking.