That being said, incumbents in all level of government use, as you term it, more sophisticated schemes to make political hay all of the time.

Under the guise of keeping constituents informed, mailings are often targeted to particular constituents to beef up an incumbent's resume with that particular voting bloc.  A mailer that highlights labor votes might be mailed to all union members, while another mailer that emphasizes environmental concerns might go out to an entirely different mailing list.

Is it campaign material?  No.  But, when candidacy is all but assured among incumbents, it serves the exact same purpose.  I griped last week about Bart Stupak's stimulus report...it was a mailing that provided Bart with the exact same exposure that Dennis' did.  I can only assume that Bart will not be paying back the taxpayers for his propaganda's postage.

I do not applaud what Lennox has (allegedly) done, but I am just as disgusted by the routine manner in which many politicians abuse their stewardship of the public coffers for their own personal gain.  

To be honest, I think the prosecutor there is cutting him a break if the allegations are true (he is innocent till proven guilty). Based on the allegations, he might have been able to charge him with a felony, which would really damage his political career - even if he's innocent of both.

It sounds like his defense is that he reimbursed the county for the mailing already. If that's the case, it's still bad judgment. I never co-mingled personal funds and committee funds unless I was donating it as an in-kind. With tax money, I wouldn't go near it. That's common sense. It's not my money. Period. This wasn't Dennis's money. It's Cheboygan County's money. Don't leave the opening for attack.

This may have cost him a chance at state rep. He's a tough campaigner, so I won't count him out, but it does not help matters.

I'm a bit sensitive to this stuff. I've treasured different committees and admin funds over the past 10 years. There's a lot of trust involved when given a checkbook. It's real easy to skim off the top if there isn't checks and balances. I
don't do that. It's not my money. Legality aside, it comes down to a matter of trust. That's what was damaged the most on this, and frankly, I expect more from a reformer.

Young or not, innocent or not, trivial or not, and a small amount of money or not - it was a gross error and should be paid back with a resignation from the current seat AND a withdrawal from the State Rep election. Just ask Beth Stewart from Plymouth.

Beth was the Republican candidate for State Rep in 2006 to assume husband John's term limited seat. She did the SAME EXACT THING except she was not an elected official.

Beth Stewart used taxpayer funded postage to insert a notice in a city mailer. She LOST the primary election, then Mark Corriveau (DEM) won the seat. People were rightfully angry.