This is the final segment of a three-part series examining the trials and tribulations of the East Hartford Republican Party. The following is aimed primarily at mayoral campaigns and party leadership.

First and foremost to achieve any success at political campaigning one must understand that it is not a gentleman's game. There's a lot at stake, so one must be tough and direct. In a recent WSJ review of the Clinton & Dole "debate" on 60 Minutes, Nicholas von Hoffman formerly of that program, noted the slow moving pace and lack of interesting comments by both. He recalled during his time the program was often referred to as the "World Wrestling Federation". He wrote, "I and Kilpatrick 'grunted,groaned, eye-gouged and cracked wise lest the viewer's index finger hit the remote.'" So, take heed GOP'ers, if you want to make headway in politics, avoid putting readers to sleep with your discourse.

Secondly, if one is to envision a victory at the polls any such attempt must continue without interruption over a lengthy period, certainly not much less than 18 months before the next town election. Much depends on visible party activity.

So, these are the first two ground rules for success. There are others as we shall see. In my own political experiences some 45 years ago I can remember only one or two Republicans that could wage a political battle effectively. Being effective means having opponents become very angry at accusations tossed their way and then responding publically. East Hartford has always had its gadflies but almost without exception are ignored even with repeated blatherings that do not score. However your party's biggest concern: Be wary, avoid allowing a renegade or gadfly to take over the party campaign. In the recent past that sort of thing has occurred sending a mixed message to the voters. Of course if the party doesn't really employ a consistent, coherent campaign the renegade replaces a moribund party organization.

Since about 60 percent of the school student population belong to minority groups, tailor perhaps that much of the campaign literature in that direction. Town demographics are already vastly different than past years. Speak to those voters.

Subscribe to a well-known axiom: Once an overall campaign theme has been adopted, include it as part of every press release issued regardless of the issue being discussed. Begin clipping all campaign articles already published for assembly into an overall tabloid-size handout during the final days prior to the election.

The above can only serve as a guide. The key ingredient for success is desire. Creating that is the responsibility of the party leader. Frequent monitoring of the directed work outlined above is basic. To be sure the business world would hardly operate as loosely structured as some political organizations

Coments: Contact billy1917smithehct@att.net