George,

1. If we had known that you would be so quick in posting our letter on the web, we might have gone to you directly and saved the mail carriers that marginal effort.

2. Did you really retype the letter? A phone call would have fetched a digital copy.

3. As the letter says, we are supporting Kevin. As it concludes, we urge everyone to use their votes as they see fit. In no way are we advocating "single shots." The new rules allow every voter at the mass meeting to exercise their preferences as they see fit. I think that is a democratic advance over the "vote for the slate" rules of yore. The four signers of the letter probably would disagree on how to distribute their three votes. We did not discuss it. To each his/her own.

4. The reference to Blake and David as (experienced) incumbents was meant as a neutral statement, ie, we only referenced holdover incumbents. It was not meant as a cryptic comment on the contesting incumbents. Interest in the race is great, but let's not read the meaning of life into it.

JOHN CONOVER (electronic mail, February 15, 2000)