Former Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway, now in federal prison, wants city taxpayers to pay legal bills related to his secretly videotaping Councilman Gene Robinson engaging in sexual acts with a prostitute. The kicker is that in order to pay those bills - which are related to Robinson's civil lawsuit - the city must find that the lawsuit stems from Callaway's official job as a city councilman.

Laughable? Not really. The problem is that the line too often has been blurred in Atlantic City between doing the public's business and engaging in personal vendettas and political mischief. That has resulted in countless costly lawsuits and settlements, paid mostly by taxpayers.

Also seeking legal defense from the city are Councilman John Schultz, former Public Works Director David Callaway and former city employee Floyd Tally. The three, along with Craig Callaway, were accused of being involved in a scheme to set up Robinson with a prostitute, videotape him having sex and blackmail him into leaving office. Callaway pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit invasion of privacy. The other three have pleaded innocent.