Three Lessons I Learned from Being a Target of Misinformation

9/11/2026

What do you do when misinformation makes you, as an appointed public official, the centerpiece of the story?

You keep doing the work.

During my time as a municipal chief administrative officer, I've learned that public leadership sometimes means seeing your actions, intentions—and even your character—portrayed in ways you don't recognize. The temptation is to fight every allegation and answer every critic.

I came to believe there is a better way.

Three principles helped me weather that storm:

1. ANCHOR YOURSELF IN THE DEMOCRACTIC PROCESS. Connect decisions, actions and recommendations to the plans, policies, resolutions and ordinances adopted by the governing body. An administrator's responsibility isn't to win every argument; it is to faithfully execute the lawful direction of elected officials and serve the community with integrity. Sometimes professional public management requires courage—even when exercising it may threaten your own employment.

2. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, FACT-BASED LOCAL JOURNALISM. Healthy communities need reliable local information. Residents need a common foundation of facts to participate in government, hold institutions accountable and make informed decisions. That's why I support efforts such as "Press Forward," a national philanthropic effort that seeks to strengthen trustworthy local journalism. When journalists report independently, check facts, seek context and hold everyone—including you—accountable, engage with them. Respect fair reporting even when you don't like the story. A free and professionally rigorous press is an essential partner in accountable government.

3. DON'T LET HOSTILITY DETERMINE WHO YOU BECOME. For me, this lesson is grounded in my Christian faith. When anger or resentment takes hold, I return to Matthew 5:44-45 and Luke 6:27-28: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. One need not be Christian to recognize the broader principle. Across religious and philosophical traditions, we find teachings about forgiveness, resisting hatred and responding to hostility without becoming consumed by it.

Perhaps that has been my most important lesson:

You cannot always control what is said about you. But you can control whether it changes the kind of leader—and the kind of person—you choose to be.