EDITORIAL: ‘Keyboard warriors’ seek to discredit good man

It seems that, at least in Albany, that old saw about how no good deed goes unpunished has played itself out once more.

Ward II Albany City Commissioner Matt Fuller is a successful businessman who has, in our estimation, used his business acumen to become an effective leader on the commission. A generally quiet man who is not given to providing unnecessary commentary unless it adds to a conversation, Fuller has worked with the other members of the board to fulfill what he said was his No. 1 campaign platform: to make decisions that will help Albany become a stronger community.

Fuller met developer Jason Benedict in Florida at a development in which both share an interest. Knowing that the city was marketing the former Gordon Hotel/Albany Water, Gas & Light Building at 207 Pine Ave. for development after moving its Utilities Department to 401 Pine Ave., Fuller told the Chicago-based developer he should look into it.

“It made sense to me,” the city commissioner told The Albany Herald. “The city was trying to generate interest in that property, and Jason’s company had done major developments all over the country.”

Indeed, Benedict’s J Car Development and other companies he’d been involved with were responsible for impressive projects in Florida, Missouri, Illinois, California and several other states.

Benedict made his pitch to the commission, and his proposal was accepted first by Albany’s Downtown Development Authority and, ultimately, by the Albany Commission. A celebratory air followed the commission’s vote, as word spread about plans to bring a $13.5 million development to downtown, one that included a state-of-the-art data center and even a rooftop restaurant.

But then the people who City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher has tagged “Albany’s 1 percenters” took to social media. Fuller’s “relationship” with Benedict, they screamed breathlessly, anxious to spread the news about the latest “political scandal,” constituted some kind of insider trading or symbiotic “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” misdeed. Fuller, who did not vote on the matter because of his relationship with Benedict, was left to explain away accusations that called his integrity into question.

When this newspaper wrote about Fuller’s relationship with Benedict and used the commissioner’s quotes to present his side of the story, it was accused of serving as a “PR firm for the city.” There was a call by some for the newspaper and other media to present “the other side of the story.” Which begs the question: What other side of the story?

Short of asking Benedict and Fuller for their personal financial records and performing some sort of audit on same, there is nothing — other than the imaginations of individuals who always love a good conspiracy theory — on which to base any kind of “investigation.” It appears that some would prefer the media dig until it finds something that fits with these conspiracy theorists’ agenda.

Yes, it is the duty and obligation of the news media to seek out and investigate corruption when there is evidence of such. An accusation made by typically nameless and faceless individuals as a way to stir up interest in their blogs is not evidence. And, because of that general anonymity that comes with being what one clever local citizen dubbed a “keyboard warrior,” there certainly is no evident reason to drag a good person’s name through the mud on some type of witch hunt.

No, we’ll let the social media posters take care of that. Until we have evidence that indicates otherwise, we will continue to hold onto our belief that Matt Fuller’s love for his community is what motivates him, not some desire to surreptitiously squeeze a few bucks out of city coffers.