Westland Mayor Robert J. Thomas rode a wave of public support to victory Tuesday, defeating challenger Kenneth Mehl and winning an unprecedented third four-year term.

"This is history, and it feels fantastic," a jubilant Thomas said, celebrating amid hundreds of supporters who joined his victory party at the senior citizen Friendship Center.

Westland Observer

With the purchase of this book, you will have the knowledge to be a WINNER, too!

"This book is like a slap shot, straight to the point and focused."
   Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey

"This is the book I was looking for when I ran for Congress."
   Colleen Howe, Former candidate for Congress

"It’s like having a campaign advisor in your pocket! A friend bought me this book for Christmas because I was thinking of running for office. I didn’t think much of the book until I sat down to read it. What a great book! This book doesn’t waste your time reading through a lot of useless material to get to the point. I already had some ideas as to how I was going to run my campaign. After I sat down to read the book, I realized that some of my ideas would have wasted a lot of my time and money.

Now, with the advice from this book I will be able to put on a much more effective campaign. I have a few friends who are thinking of running for office and I plan to do them a favor and buy them this book."
   Rena, a reader from Washington, D.C.

"Excellent Bible. I decided to run for City Council, not knowing anything about how to run or what to do. My Congressman, Asa Hutchinson, recommended the book to me. I ordered it and it was great. It helped me get out of my shell and go door to door, meet people and ask for money. Not only did I win the election, (beating my opponent who had been in 6 years) but I also raised the most contributions. I was so grateful there was a ‘Bible’ for running for office and I could not have done it alone. Thanks so much Mayor Thomas."
   Sonja R. Brent from Russellville, AR.

"I’m a professor at the Kennedy School and have used several ‘how to’ campaign books over the last 10 years. Most, like this one, are written by very local candidates and have a wonderfully authentic, genuine feel. I like Mr. Thomas’ book best of all, and I’m using it again this year. The advice is practical, easy to follow and up-to-date. It compliments other more ‘theoretical’ readings in a political parties or campaigns class. Students often reach by thinking, on first reading, that everything is so ‘obvious’ or ‘common sense,’ but when I place students as volunteers in campaigns, they tend to be surprised by how many ‘obvious’ things are missed every day. My semi-well-reasoned guess is that 50 percent of local campaigns make very significant strategic or managerial mistakes that would not be made if Mayor Thomas’ guidelines were followed."
   David C. King, Professor at the Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Great Book! Running for an elected office can be one of the most emotional experiences a person can have. In fact, it is a lot like getting married. It’s easy to propose and it’s easy to declare a candidacy. The days leading to the altar or the polling booth can be filled with all kinds of ups and downs.

This book provides a road map for success on the highway to public office. In a campaign it is easy to get distracted, and this book directly addresses many of the key skills that every candidate or campaign staff member should know. This book is a great gift item and I will be using it in a future class on campaign management."
   Dr. Ron McNinch, professor at Guam University

"I really enjoy using your book for my class in Political Action. Your book is very readable and concise. It is full of good insights and directions for campaigning.

I also have the experience of being active in Republican politics for 48 years. 28 years as county chairman in Marion County, Indiana, and 38 years as congressional district.

You have written an excellent book for candidates."
   John W. Sweezy, professor of political science at Indiana University

"I bought the book. I read the book. I’ve won 2 elections. I believe the title of my review says it all. Almost. Before I bought the book, I had never delved into politics. I think that, added to winning two contested elections in two years, says everything. One for county party committee and one for borough council."
   Herbert Riede, McSherrystown, PA.

"An excellent ‘How To’ book that is practical and easy to understand. I have been a candidate in twenty elections. Your book is a formula for success."
   Ed McNamara, County Executive for Wayne County, Michigan and former mayor of Livonia Michigan

"The ultimate “How To Primer’ for winning local office. Mayor Thomas covers all the bases for waging a successful political campaign in this book. Any candidate or campaign manager should get this book before they file for office. Anyone can run for office. The secret is waging a smart; focused campaign based on doing the right things. Mayor Thomas provides the necessary roadmap in this book.

I’m teaching a course in elective politics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center of Government. This is one of the required reading books for the course and is also used by some other teachers in the field at colleges and universities around the country."
   Wayne A. Smith, House Majority Leader, Delaware General Assembly

"Campaign Smart! This book will save you time, money, and grief!"
   Thomas F. Taylor, Former Mayor of Westland, Michigan

"This book would be an invaluable resource for any candidate running for a school board seat."
   Greg Baracy, Superintendent of Wayne Westland Public Schools, Westland, Michigan

"Authors strategy worked! After becoming very disappointed in the direction of leadership in our local civic organization, a friend of mine and I decided to run as candidates for president and vice-president. We bought this book, followed its strategy and won the election with over 75% of the vote! I later shared this book with a politician friend of mine who decided to run for a high county office in a race against 2 established county officials. He won with over 60% of the vote. I strongly recommend this book!"
   A reader from the U.S.A.

"Great book. I got 1735 votes in just 6 weeks. Thank you for writing such an important book for someone who wants to run for public office. I got 1735 votes in the Livonia, Michigan school board race in just 6 weeks. Your book saved me a lot of time and money. I could not have done it without your book."
   Larry Nasar from Livonia, MI

"Best advice I have found on running a campaign! The advice I found in this book was fantastic! It showed me several ways to save a lot of money in a campaign for public office. I really liked the advice in the first two chapters about what to expect when you get into politics. It was a real eye-opener for me. With all that I have learned from this book, I know that my first campaign will be ten times more effective, and I’ll save money at the same time! I would recommend to anyone who even thinks they might someday run for office!"
   hazard@mich.com. A reader from Grand Rapids, MI

"Very good advice. I am writing to congratulate you on a fine book. Too often, good candidates and political activists have a hard time running for office because they can’t find quality advice on running and winning local elections. Your book provides just such guidance. Keep up the good work!"
   Joe Garecht. President of Local Victory-Your Guide to Winning Local Elections. (www.localvictory.com)

"This book hits all the nails on the head! What an easy book to read. It’s written in laymen’s terms and it is so easy to understand. The author goes straight to the point on every page. There is no wasted space here. The advice on targeting the voter and how to maximize your time when going door-to-door is worth the cost of the book itself. If you are going to run for a public office, as I plan to, this book is a very wise investment!"
   mre5155@aol.com. A reader from Washington, D.C.

"Your book was recommended to me by a friend who had run for city council three times and failed three times. He assured me that he did not read your book until after the third failure! Here is what I was up against when I ran. Our city and county newspapers both endorsed the other candidates. Our city paper endorsed everyone but me, smile. A controlling sector of the development community put a great deal of money into my opponent’s campaigns.

Your book gave good advice and helped me stick to what I believed in, in the first place. I wanted to run a positive campaign. I wanted to walk precincts. I wanted to spend money on TV advertising. Some of my committee members opposed me on those points, but your book gave me the confidence and sound advice on how to do it effectively. I won the election with the help of your book. I am now a member of the city council in Atascadero, California."
   Becky Pacas from Atascadero, California

"Mayor, Love the book. I need two more for friends just getting into politics as well. My race for Mayor isn’t until the spring, but your book has helped me get organized already."
   Bob Zabbia from Ponchatoula, Louisiana

"I used this book in my last election and found it very helpful."
   Barry Law, Vice Mayor, City of Hutchinson, Kansas

"Too late, I already have a copy and it was very helpful. If you want a testimony, let me know. No offense, I do not want many people to know. It is my secret weapon."
   Gordon Thorsby, City Commission, City of Birmington

"Thank you so much for putting this book together. I am running for the first time for McKeesport City Council next may in the democratic primary. Your book is easy to read without all the fluff and extra verbiage. I highly recommend it to all my friends and none of my opponents."
   Paul “Sluggo” Shelly Jr. Democratic Candidate for McKeesport City Council

"You are a godsend! I am pleased to inform you that I want to ‘throw the hat into the ring.’ I plan to run for a vacant school board seat in Milwaukee. This is a big step for me, I’m a community activist and I am accustomed to affecting change from the outside the political arena. Now I want to bring my expertise to the Milwaukee Public Schools. A couple weeks ago, I wandered into my local public library to search the computer catalog for a ‘running for elections for dummies’ type tool. Honestly I searched for a half-hour before I finally imputed the right combination in order to find your book. I immediately started reading it and have completed my first once-over. Today, I’ll start my do-over. May I say that you should be blessed among men for sharing your pearls of wisdom with Jane Q. Public. This type of valuable information comes at a great cost in these parts. After just one reading, I am so confident that I may even have already intimidated some of the myriad of individuals who have designs on this vacant school board seat.

Be advised that your labor in writing this insightful tool was not in vain. I plan to implement every applicable strategy that you’ve outlined.

I hope you don’t think that I’m flippant, but I refer to you as ‘The Campaign Guru."
   Karen Murphy-Smith from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"Mayor Thomas, I bought your book ‘How to Run for Local Office.’ Thank you! Thank you! I plan to run for County Clerk in the year 2002. I have never thought about running for a political office until this year and didn’t really know how to start the process. Your book is informative and well written and will help me to bypass so many mistakes. Thank you again!"
   Mona Myers

"I am an elected official and this book helped me a great deal in my campaign. I have since recommended it to several people."
   Gary Adams