[A] I effectively took over the Poll two years ago, although I was probably doing most of the work a year or two before that. I renamed the Poll to honor Francis, but I also started fiddling with his formulas and adding my picks to the invite list. He asked only to be copied on email, and I set up a system so he could monitor the vote counting. He ultimately wrote short essays, supplementing my longer ones, and I much appreciated that he was able to do that much.

The question now is whether the Poll should continue without him. All I can say at the moment is that it very likely will. He seemed to like the idea, and his widow has indicated her assent. We still need to talk details. I'm pleased with what we've done for nearly 20 years, and I appreciate the feedback from voters (and a few non-voters), and the support of ArtsFuse, and a few volunteers who pitched in last year. Health permitting, I'm willing to commit to another year -- which will be our 20th. At my age, it's hard to think much beyond then, but I have a pretty good system set up for managing the Poll, and it's quite possible that others will step up should I falter.