Things have moved fast since Platner dropped out of the senate race; next weekend the counties meet to select delegates to a convention scheduled for July 25. I applied to be a delegate, an obligation that would last less than a month. I would vote for Troy Jackson whose platform is pretty much identical to Platner's. He has a long legislative history and can win the north. I'm glad Platner dropped out, but he is still a hero to me; he created an energetic progressive movement that will not be silenced. Waldo County will get only 15 of the 600 delegates to the convention. Here are the rules:

The nomination itself will be decided through elimination rounds rather than a single vote or a ranked-choice voting system. At the convention, every certified candidate appears on the first ballot. Each one gets a brief, formal moment before the balloting begins: a two-minute nominating speech from a supporter, followed by five minutes of remarks from the candidate. Then, the five candidates with the most votes advance to a second round. After that, each round eliminates only the last-place finisher, continuing until one candidate wins a majority. Vote totals are public, but it’s a secret ballot.

Here's a good shady spot for a phone call. The Zone. We maintain our lake buffer as sort of organic chaos, hosta mixed in with wild plants, and a winding path to the dock. Eden in the midst of a crazy world. In the summer, the weekends are over scheduled as people pack events in. Next Sunday I will go to the caucus, but I'll miss the float-in concert where the lake association (for the first time ever) will put a blues duo on the big island, and I'll miss the end of the film festival.