Rep. Leslie Mortimer (R-Horton)

Standing in the way

As a State Representative, Leslie Mortimer voted in favor of funding for the Agricultural Innovation Grant program - and then tried to grab nearly a half million dollars of that funding for an organization she runs.(Jackson Citizen-Patriot 9/16/06) Rep. Mortimer's unethical move has brought a wave of criticism from the non-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures, Common Cause, the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Lansing State Journal (LSJ 9/23/06). Yet on her campaign website, Rep. Mortimer promises to “stand up for taxpayers” and “oppose out of control state spending.” Apparently that doesn't apply to spending that would benefit her own personal project.