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Dear Editor:
I was surprised that Rich Breyer suggested in Wednesday’s Reporter that I am a “special interest or political elite” seeking to influence city hall by donating to the Mike Corbett for Mayor campaign. He said I was trying to hide a corporate donation by making it personally instead of through my business.
Well, I would like to set Mr. Breyer’s accusations straight and give my opinion as to why I support Mike Corbett for Mayor.
I don’t know Rich Breyer and I don’t know anybody who does, but I do know thousands of other people in Noblesville and they know me, and they know you won’t catch me trying to hide behind anything.
I was blessed to be born and raised here in Noblesville and my kids are the fifth generation to grow up in the little burg of Clare just north of 211th Street on White River. My father was a Noblesville policeman for 15 years until he died of cancer in 1979. When my father became a policeman around 1963 we had to move from Clare (Noblesville Township) to Noblesville City limits because Noblesville police at the time had to live in the city limits, so we moved to 935 S. 10th St. where I attended 3rd Ward School on the south side of Noblesville.
Three years later when the requirement was lifted, we moved back to Clare on the River. Again I was blessed with the most amazing Industrial Arts education a country boy could ever imagine at Noblesville High School. I became a very good welder and machinist working on Don Roberts’s airplanes and all the associated shop classes. After graduating from Noblesville High School I joined the US Marine Corps, but was discharged early due to losing part of my lungs.
I came back to my home to Noblesville and used the GI Bill to enroll in Purdue University. While working on my degree from Purdue I took a job at Riverview Hospital as a welder starting my career in healthcare. I continued on to St. Vincent’s and ultimately ended up back at Riverview Hospital as a Vice President of Support Service where I spent 15 years growing the Riverview organization.
In February 2008 I became a Consultant (worst timing for the economy) and ultimately chased work in Texas and Louisiana where the economy was still thriving. I was again blessed to personally witness how towns/cities can grow while retaining their charm and individuality. (Half of all new jobs created in the USA in 2011 were in Texas.) My family and I lived in Texas north of Houston for three and a half years and returned back to our home in Clare/Noblesville in 2014.
Over the years, I have served on multiple Boards of Directors in Hamilton County: Janus, Meals on Wheels, Noblesville Preservation, Holliday Hydroelectric Restoration, Victory Chapel Community Church, The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority and graduated from the Hamilton County Leadership Academy.
I do own V&J Consulting, a SDVOSB (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business) engineering and consulting firm. We have three total staff including my wife who occasionally works in the office, but we have never worked for the City of Noblesville. In fact, most of my business is healthcare related with projects at Witham Health, St. Francis Health and Schneck Medical Center, all conducted outside of Noblesville.
Over the years I was a big supporter of Mayor John Ditslear and believe he has generally served Noblesville well.
But with that said, I have watched Noblesville grow and truly believe Mike will be the best choice for Mayor due to his love for Noblesville, his heart as a philanthropist, and his desire to keep the charm and personality that we desire to keep here in Noblesville. I don’t want to see stroads or the destruction of Noblesville’s character in the name of progress. We have all seen the loss of too many iconic assets of Noblesville be thrown away or lost due to a short lived vision.
I also support Mike because I think he will bring badly needed change to city hall. He offers a vision for the city that the other candidates just don’t have and he has a healthy respect for our history. The money I contributed to his campaign came directly from my personal funds, which is why it was reported that way. I am the “everyday citizen” Mike Corbett claims to get his support from. There was nothing misleading about the campaign finance report.
Jae Ebert
Noblesville