As disgraced former Nova Scotia MLA Dave Wilson spent his first full day in jail, the people who elected him are reacting to his actions and his punishment.

Wilson has been sentenced to nine months in jail on multiple counts of defrauding taxpayers of nearly $61,000 and political science professor David Johnson says it sets a precedent.

"Politicians who get caught like this will get punished, and will get punished to a much higher degree than an ordinary citizen would be facing," says Johnson, a professor at Cape Breton University.

Judge Peter Ross said in his decision, which was handed down yesterday in Sydney, that ordinary citizens might get a conditional sentence to such a crime, but because Wilson was an MLA, a deterrent had to be set.

Still, Johnson says it may not change some people's perception.

"Sadly, a decision like this I think only reinforces public cynicism," he says. "There's a lot of anger out there today, a lot of people feeling their trust has been violated; people that voted for him."

The verdict was the talk of Glace Bay Friday and opinions were as varied as they were plentiful. Some people feel the time properly suits the crime, while others think Wilson should have received a tougher sentence.

Some people even said they felt empathy for Wilson because he did a lot for the town of Glace Bay.

"I'd visit him in jail. I like Dave, I can't help it," says area resident Dale Neville. "But I know he did wrong. I'm not picking up for that."

"He should have gotten more time," says local Richard Hall. "If this was me or you, we'd be getting probably 15 to 25 years."

Others believe the real story lies in Wilson's gambling addiction, and they feel the case sheds light on a serious issue that affects many people.

"I kind of feel sorry for him because it's an addiction," says area resident Mary Melnick. "And somebody out there has to help those people."

"As far as saying he got what he deserved, and only stopped because he got caught, I don't really believe that," says Cecilia MacDonald. "I believe that when he got caught, it was almost a relief for him."

Wilson's nine months in jail will be followed by 18 months of probation.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald