Contrary to what you might’ve read recently on City Councilman Joe Graves’ Facebook page, where he announced he planned to resign because of personal attacks launched via social media and unfair treatment by the local press, it’s not easy for a newspaper columnist “to sit back and criticize.”
It may be easy for the often-anonymous individuals who post extreme and nonsensical personal attacks on social media, though there doesn’t seem to be much one can do about that in today’s increasingly toxic political climate.
But many, if not most, of our public officials here understand the local newspaper’s watchdog role, and appreciate the importance of having reporters and columnists hold them accountable.
Some, though, fail to grasp the need for a newspaper to regularly monitor their words and deeds, question their job performance and positions on issues, and offer opposing opinions and points of view.
A thin-skinned few refuse to embrace the scrutiny that comes with the offices they hold, often expressing shock and dismay, even outrage, when they’re portrayed in a negative way. They too often respond dismissively – and occasionally with contempt – to stories and columns that make them uncomfortable.
We in the local press, however, have no control over the rampant idiocy and unfettered viciousness that can be found on social-media sites, such as the unnecessarily personal attacks Graves claimed targeted him and his family.
“I have received private messages I cannot repeat,” Graves wrote in the May 16 Facebook post in which he broke the news that he planned to resign his council seat, adding that the “last straw” was someone verbally “taking a swing” at his son, Jimmy, who was 15 when he was killed in a boating accident in December 2016.
Let there be no doubt: To make a derogatory remark about a dead teenager in a social-media post is despicable, and I don’t blame Graves for getting upset.
But that callous, low-brow remark – even when piled on top of being publicly chastised last month in my column criticizing his call for longtime City Airport Director Eric Menger to be fired – should not have pushed him over the edge.
To announce in a public forum that he planned to resign in protest was an overreaction, as much so as his public attack on the unsuspecting airport director, to whom Graves later apologized.
So, just as I was glad to see Graves mend fences with Menger, I was pleased that Graves reconsidered his resignation and decided to honor his commitment to the people who voted for him.
Let’s hope other local public officials, as well as all the political newcomers who’ve filed to run for various city and county offices this year, learn from Graves’ experience.
What you read in your hometown newspaper is not “fake news” – a ridiculous and concocted term Graves used in a previous Facebook post to criticize what he believes to have been inaccurate or unfair coverage, including an inference that there was more to the Menger story.
If there was a story to tell, Graves was unwilling to share it publicly, and we can only report what we know.
We’re the eyes and ears of our community, working tirelessly to accurately and fairly report on your local government, so you may knowledgeably assess its performance and react accordingly.
Truth is, I respect our friends and neighbors who care enough to seek local elected office and serve our community. Yes, they get paid for their time, but they also open themselves up to scrutiny.
Unfortunately, these mostly well-intentioned folks also open themselves up for often-unfounded, over-the-top attacks as well as the occasional cheap shot on social-media outlets.
Alas, in the current era, such exposure comes with the job.
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