Gordon Boyd’s Performance Charges-Only the Gazette Takes the Bait

The thing that is most disturbing about the leadership of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee is how cavalier they are about the truth especially when it could damage their target’s personal or professional reputations.

A case in point is a release issued by city and state Democratic Committee member Gordon Boyd. The release announces that he has supposedly discovered, in reviewing election documents, that the signatures of Joe Suhrada, who chairs the county Republican Party, and Jennifer Weaver, secretary of the County Republican Committee, appear to him to be identical. The logic being that the signatures may have been forged. He also writes that Charles A. Foehser, the First Deputy Clerk of Saratoga County, notarized these signatures, meaning that Froehser may have falsely claimed to have observed the signing of the documents by the named officials.

Boyd’s release included letters to the New York State Attorney General’s and Secretary of State’s offices asking them to investigate. The purpose of those letters is to amplify his story and get press coverage.

In an article in the Daily Gazette, Boyd told Tom Dimopoulis:

“When I looked at them, the signatures jumped out to me as way too similar. Being a notary myself, I know you’re not allowed to have signatures on something you didn’t see signed. You have to see a human being sign it and then you can notarize it,” said Boyd. “To my eye, it appears that the same hand signed for both the chairman and secretary of the party. It also appears that the purported signature of the chairman does not look like his official signature on file with the Board of Elections.

The reality is that if Boyd could find a newspaper or television station to publish his unsubstantiated claims, these grave accusations would raise doubts with the public about the integrity of Suhrada, Weaver, and Foehser, and by extension, the candidates named in the documents they signed.

It is no coincidence that three of the documents referenced in his release refer to candidates endorsed by One Saratoga, whom Boyd opposes.

Here are four of the documents that Boyd submitted to the state agencies.

The first two contain what he claims may be forgeries, along with the notarization by Froehser.

I don’t claim to have expertise in handwriting. I would observe, though, that Weaver ends her initials with a long horizontal slash, which is simply my untutored observation.

Mike Brandi, chair of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee, has written to Boyd, demanding that he retract his letters and release and issue a formal apology.

Brandi included the following documents in his response to Boyd.

Does Boyd have suspicions that Weaver or Suhrada forged each other’s Driver’s licenses?

Does Boyd suspect that Weaver had Suhrada sign her passport?

Did Weaver sign Suhrada’s tax form?

An Inquiry To Gordon Boyd

I wrote to Gordon Boyd asking what research he did to substantiate his suspicions other than observing a handful of forms.

His disingenuous response:

I have made no such determination. I have merely asked the Secretary of State to investigate.  If you were a real journalist and not such a party activist, you probably would have read more carefully.

gmb

It’s Called Being Responsible

One key question that Boyd might have considered was what the motive would have been to forge these documents. The fact that there was no apparent explanation should have at least raised the need for further investigation before going to the press if Boyd’s concerns were sincere.

It is not totally unreasonable for him to seek help from state agencies if he was indeed truly concerned about these signatures. The logic, then, would have been, though, to wait for their opinion before going to the press

Of course, this would mean he was interested in the truth rather than an opportunity to smear these three people and make it into the news cycle. It also would have meant that he maintained a high ethical standard by not wishing to bring undue embarrassment to these people if they were innocent.

It should be noted that Michele Madigan immediately enthusiastically congratulated Boyd on his press release, praising him, saying, “Nothing gets by Gordon Boyd.”

This incident is just another example of why this city needs One Saratoga.

Another Example Of The Failure of Today’s Journalism

Tom Dimopoulos wrote a story for the Daily Gazette in which he quoted Boyd on his “suspicions.” He also quoted city Republican chair Mike Brandi, who asserted that Boyd’s allegations were false.

Journalists are not supposed to be uncritical stenographers. Good journalists investigate so they can assist their readers in determining the truth between conflicting claims.

In this case, all Boyd had was a suspicion. It is incredible that the Daily Gazette would print a story with virtually no serious proof to support it. This is not journalism. It is a quest for clicks.

According to the article, Dimopoulos’s only additional investigation was an unsuccessful attempt to reach Joe Suhrada. What about the other two people being accused? Didn’t they deserve to tell their side of this story? Couldn’t Dimopoulos have asked for other documents with signatures that might have shed light on this story?

It is instructive that no other major media newspaper or television station viewed Boyd’s allegations as deserving of coverage. Even Wendy Liberatore didn’t bother. Only the Gazette.

Brandi has provided the documents disproving Boyd’s claim to the Daily Gazette, which was once an excellent newspaper. It is discouraging that they will leave Boyd’s story standing without printing Brandi’s rebuttal and evidence.