John DePetro used a heavy dose of humor to liven up the crowd at Operation Clean Government’s bi-annual candidate school on Saturday morning.

“There’s been a little bit of a change to the agenda this afternoon. For those of you waiting for the John Celona and Ed DiPrete guided tour of the ACI, it begins at 4 p.m.,” said DePetro, the charismatic, rabble rousing host of 630 WPRO’s “morning show,” which incited laughs.

“Take a look around you. Some of the people in this room could one day be the subject of a Hummel Report or a feature on Eyewitness News.”

Getting serious, DePetro, the keynote speaker at the event, told the prospective candidates to keep their messages simple, work hard and ignore cynics who would tell them they wouldn’t win. DePetro said that when Perrier water was founded, nobody believed anyone would pay for water – something they could get out of a well. And Shaun White, the world famous snowboarder, was told that he should stick to skiing like everybody else.

“Here’s the thing you should all remember, why not you?” said DePetro.

“We need leaders in Rhode Island who will be profiled on C-Span, not America’s Most Wanted.”

DePetro also told the candidates to “be comfortable in your own skin,” and with respect to the campaign message, “keep it simple.”

He advised the audience to focus on three main reasons for running for their chosen office, and to stick to that message.

“You don’t need a litany of reasons why you’re running…you just need to know how your campaign can have a positive effect on your neighborhood,” said DePetro.

With respect to candidates thinking of squaring off with formidable opponents, DePetro told the prospective candidates to remember the famous line from the beloved “Godfather II.”

“If history has taught us anything it’s that a man can be killed,” DePetro joked.

He also warned the first-time candidates to keep in mind that while many people say they’ll help you get elected, it often turns into a one-person operation.

“In my experience, the person who wants it most wins,” he said. Operation Clean Government is a non-partisan, grassroots organization that seeks “better government in Rhode Island,” according to its newsletter. Operation Clean Government is an all-volunteer organization.

The group has held a candidate school every year beginning in 2002.

This year’s program began at 7:15 a.m. and ran until 5:15 p.m. Held at the Quonset “O” Club in North Kingstown, there was a registration fee of $95 per person. Previous candidate school graduates include Governor Donald Carcieri, Providence Mayor David Cicilline and former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey.

About 140 people attended the event. Moderate Party Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Block and Republican Party Candidate John Robitaille were present for the beginning of the program.

Bruce Lang, who originally envisioned the candidate school, told the candidates they’d need four things: time, money, a plan and passion.

Secretary of State Ralph Mollis, a candidate for re-election this year himself, gave a presentation on the nuts and bolts of running for office, including filing deadlines, campaign finance forms and resources for prospective candidates. He encourages people to run for most political offices this year, with one notable exception.

“Other than Secretary of State, I don’t really think it’s a good year to run for that, I think it’s a great year to run for office,” Mollis joked.

Governor Donald Carcieri spoke at noon during the lunch portion of the seminar.

In the afternoon, there were various “breakout sessions” including “how to beat an entrenched incumbent,” “know the issues and how to answer questions without alienating half the room” (which was moderated by Arlene Violet, a former Rhode Island Attorney General) and “branding yourself, what you need to stand for, campaign theme, image.”