Guerilla Marketing = Political Capital
by Jeremy Alford - Gambit Weekly (excerpt)

The way in which certain elected officials promote themselves to the public using taxpayer money is a perennial issue, whether it's brought up by the press or by political opponents. Members of Congress engage in it when they mail newsletters to their districts during election years.

The underlying issue is simple: Are such mail-outs a political tool or a way to keep voters informed? In reality, it's a little of both, but the Beltway pros know how to toe the line.

Closer to home, local officials face similar challenges. Apparently, Louisiana's sheriffs have it better than most. In a letter to Hal Turner, executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, the AG's office opined that sheriffs are allowed to place their names on public vehicles, giving each of them a rolling billboard across their respective jurisdictions.

Assumption Parish Assessor Wayne P. Blanchard, however, is not allowed to use public funds to "erect public information billboards bearing (his) name and photograph," states another opinion. The district attorney's office in Washington Parish didn't have any better luck. The AG's office told the local prosecutor that he couldn't "use public funds to publish and disseminate an informational report bearing the photographs and names of the district attorney and his employees."

The lesson? It's good to be the sheriff — unless your name is too long to fit on the passenger-side door.