Everybody knows that reporters love a juicy scandal, that suggestions about public officials abusing the privileges of office practically have them foaming at the mouth.

So when Champaign County Board candidate Robert Kirchner issued a news release last week in which he revealed allegedly corrupt behavior by Barbara Wysocki, one of his opponents in a county board primary election next month, it had potential for excitement. And Kirchner, a lawyer, was magnificent in his denunciation, demanding that Wysocki's outrageous abuse of her position as chairwoman of the county board cease immediately. He even topped off his rhetoric with the suggestion that the state's attorney or a special prosecutor investigate. Let's not only throw the rascals out, let's lock them up, too.

But the scandal left something to be desired.

Kirchner chastised Wysocki for using county property, a piece of stationery and a 39-cent stamp, to send a note of thanks to a group of student Democrats at the University of Illinois who had invited her to speak to their group. And Wysocki critics followed up that broadside with news that she was directing voter's comments to her University of Illinois e-mail account, another no-no.

But Illinois is the Land of Corruption, where governors, legislators and aldermen view state prisons as second homes. On the scale of political criminality, Wysocki's misdeeds wouldn't register even if she had written a really long thank you note that required two stamps to mail.

Wysocki changed her e-mail account and expressed regret over the thank-you-note incident. She may even send Kirchner a thank-you note for bringing these indiscretions to her attention. Let's hope she doesn't use another piece of county stationery and stamp.