diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/store/cluster/messaging/impl/ClusterCommunicationManager.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/store/cluster/messaging/impl/ClusterCommunicationManager.java
index c732c16..1b11873 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/store/cluster/messaging/impl/ClusterCommunicationManager.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/store/cluster/messaging/impl/ClusterCommunicationManager.java
@@ -6,9 +6,6 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.Timer;
 import java.util.TimerTask;
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
-
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Activate;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Component;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Deactivate;
@@ -36,7 +33,6 @@
 import org.onlab.netty.MessageHandler;
 import org.onlab.netty.MessagingService;
 import org.onlab.netty.NettyMessagingService;
-import org.onlab.netty.Response;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -123,13 +119,10 @@
         checkArgument(node != null, "Unknown nodeId: %s", toNodeId);
         Endpoint nodeEp = new Endpoint(node.ip().toString(), node.tcpPort());
         try {
-            log.info("sending...");
-            Response resp = messagingService.sendAndReceive(nodeEp,
+            messagingService.sendAsync(nodeEp,
                     message.subject().value(), SERIALIZER.encode(message));
-            resp.get(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
-            log.info("sent...");
             return true;
-        } catch (IOException | TimeoutException e) {
+        } catch (IOException e) {
             log.error("Failed to send cluster message to nodeId: " + toNodeId, e);
         }
 
@@ -197,8 +190,7 @@
         }
     }
 
-    // FIXME: revert static
-    private class InternalClusterMessageHandler implements MessageHandler {
+    private final class InternalClusterMessageHandler implements MessageHandler {
 
         private final ClusterMessageHandler handler;
 
@@ -208,17 +200,12 @@
 
         @Override
         public void handle(Message message) {
-            // FIXME: remove me
-            log.info("InternalClusterMessageHandler.handle({})", message);
             try {
-                log.info("before decode");
                 ClusterMessage clusterMessage = SERIALIZER.decode(message.payload());
-                log.info("Subject:({}), Sender:({})", clusterMessage.subject(), clusterMessage.sender());
                 handler.handle(clusterMessage);
-                message.respond("ACK".getBytes());
             } catch (Exception e) {
-                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
-                log.error("failed", e);
+                log.error("Exception caught during ClusterMessageHandler", e);
+                throw e;
             }
         }
     }