It amazes me how people in high places so often crash and burn doing such petty things. Ben Nuckols reports for AP from Baltimore:

Mayor Sheila Dixon agreed to resign Wednesday as part of a deal with prosecutors, ending a three-year tenure that began with promise but unraveled amid embarrassing allegations that she stole from the poor.

Dixon, 56, was convicted last month of misappropriating about $500 in gift cards donated to the city for distribution to needy families during her time as City Council president. Had she not agreed to step down, she could have been thrown out of office.

Aside from the dishonesty and meanness of stealing from the poor, why would anyone who worked long and hard to reach a high position in a major city risk it for a mere $500?