Possible Clues:

• Public vote has introduced a strain
• Demand too much of old priest retiring with a fair amount of 4 down
• Cause strain to
• Strain, in a way
• Make excessive demands on (a person’s abilities)
• Work too hard to get public a vote
• Open with a sign that something's wrong -- stress too much
• Press too hard and open cut, nearly
• Demand too much of green area to feed farm animal
• Demand too much of public in front of a cross