By the time this missive clears the watchful eye of editor Kevin Burnham, we will know the name of our new state senator and state representative. I am a fan of both Holly Stover and Stephanie Hawke. Either woman would do a good job for our community.

Whether or not we will know the name of the 46th president is another story. I hope whoever wins will heal the rift caused by this election.

Over the weekend, if you checked with the TV and newspaper pundits, pollsters and talking heads on all sides, most hedged their bets saying something like: It could be this, but if that happens, it might be that.

They seemed to agree that the winner will depend on turnout. If the Democrats turn out more voters than the Republicans, the Democrat will win. If the Republicans turn out more voters, they will win.

It reminds me of the sage old basketball coach who explained the nuances of a high school game to a TV audience when he said something like this: The winning team will put the ball in the basket more times than the other team. No kidding, Sherlock.

You can't blame the overpaid pundits. Four years ago, they were embarrassed as predictions of a Democratic win turned into a Republican victory party.

No matter who becomes #46, he will still have a desk full of serious problems demanding his attention.

The incumbent president has tried to convince us the pandemic will soon disappear, we will all go back to work, and the world will magically return to normal. Sure it will.

The challenger has spent much of his campaign trying to convince us the incumbent's bumbling of both the pandemic and the associated economic downturn is a reason to send him packing. But he has not told us what he will do to get a handle on the raging ailment that has sickened millions and taken the lives of 230,000 plus.

By anyone's count, Mr. COVID-19 is getting his third wind and shows signs of hammering us again.

I will bet Big Parma will turn their scientists loose and discover some sort of vaccine and treatment in the near future.

But the next president will have more than health care on the Resolute Desk when he sits down in the Oval Office.

He can rely on Mother Nature to put out the massive West Coast fires, but he faces other problems associated with climate change. Climate change is not fake news. Seas are rising. If you don't think so, ask coastal property owners up and down the Eastern seaboard.

For example, we see politicians who put down climate change activists as they attempt to save the fossil fuel industry. At the same time, massive coal-fired power plants are reaching the end of their useful lives, as alternative energy sources from solar to wind power come online to power our toasters and TV sets.

Despite the political rhetoric on both sides, the free marketplace is slowly moving away from fossil fuels without help from either side. Recent news reports say BP, the British oil giant, says it is shifting out of the oil business and has spent $1.1 billion to buy a 50% stake in the Norwegian power giant, Equinor. We remember Equinor as Statoil, the company that tried to build a $120 million floating wind farm off the Boothbay coast until it ran into opposition from former Gov. Paul LePage and others. Equinor took its Maine project to Scotland building a six-unit floating wind farm that is humming away. They also have other wind projects off the coast of New York and Massachusetts and extensive investments in solar power projects. BP plans to install electric car charging stations at its 7,000 U.S. gas stations.

Like it or not, #46 will have to referee the climate change battle, in addition to battling Mr. COVID-19, get the economy back on track, and deal with China, Russia and the rest of our foreign friends and opponents.

They say the presidency is the toughest job in the world. They are right.

Good luck to the winner.