Why the secrecy?

To the Editor:

Apparently there’s an anonymous letter floating around our community about an event that took place with me in the city of Madelia. Why the secrecy? Why not come out and confront me face to face?

Was there an incident in Madelia? Yes, there was. I have never hidden it nor have I run from it. If you were to talk to people who know me, including people from my church who on a couple of occasions have heard me tell my story from the front of my church, you’ll be disappointed to know that most people already know this about me. I fully expected it to come out, just not in the cowardly way it did, but what do you expect from someone who does not want you to know the whole truth?

I’ve dealt with all of the dishonesty about this matter through this whole ordeal. I saw the truth buried while I, an innocent man, was convicted over someone else’s mistake. So dealing with the sneaky manner in which this is being distributed, coming to you myself, is the right way to handle this.

What is this anonymous letter anyway? It’s a copy of a newspaper article that is both public and published information and was seen by thousands of people. To whoever is behind this, I have a little something to tell you: It’s not a secret. What are you worried about?

This whole ordeal was over a simple administrative mistake, nothing more and nothing less. It was about a check that was sent to a closed checking account and never returned. A check I never ever had possession of. It’s about a worried prosecutor who was about to lose his seat for the first time in decades and was willing to do anything to save his behind, including misrepresent a case. It was about a banker who, after they recruited me to an EDA board to do what they were afraid to do themselves, and I rapidly rose to the top of the political ladder, who was now being asked by the banker who recruited me to carry out two dirty little deeds against local businesses’ EDA loan applications, and a health care administrator of which I sat as the president and vice president of their board of directors, when I refused, a line was drawn in the sand that I knew when I crossed it would have consequences, but never dreamed it would bring me to this. It involved a defense attorney who crawed into bed with the prosecutor and bargained my innocence away for who knows whatever reason.

The jury I have never held any animosity toward. If I had been fed the false information they were fed, I might have found me guilty too. As far as everyone else, I forgave all of them a long time ago. None of them were worth losing any sleep over. Justice was served in the end. The dishonest prosecutor was defeated in the next election and the defense attorney who so easily sold me out was caught and reprimanded for doing something to someone else, exactly what he had done to me, and is no longer practicing law.

The most humbling experience came from the vast support of the people of Madelia who know the truth and have stood by my side throughout it all. I was told that I need to hold my head up high because I’m not guilty.

What if I told you another mistake was made with my check exiting the City Council but was quickly straightened out by the one who made both mistakes? They paid me cash out of their own pocket to cover any fees I had occurred because they didn’t want it to be used against me, and apologized for all I went through.

I have always served with integrity and I am willing to go all the way for a cause I believe in. I will fight for what’s right and will never, ever sell out those in this community in any way. If I had to go back and go through what I’ve just shared with you all over again, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, even knowing full well how it would play out. I know I did the right thing and that’s why I sleep like a baby at night and stand before you confidently.

I know firsthand what sacrifice is because I lived it. I know what it’s like to have everything I worked hard for ripped away from me because I made a righteous stand. I know what it’s like to hear my wife cry herself to sleep every night because she just lost everything. She knew why this was happening and that I was making a stand for what was right.

So here it is, everyone. You’re hearing it directly from me. Do you want a real leader? Do you want someone who will never silence your freedom to speak? Do you want someone who will do what’s right for this community and is willing to fight for it at any cost? Do you want someone who will deal with you face to face and not make decisions in secret or anonymously that involve you or this community?

Then I’m asking you to make me your next mayor and let me lead and serve you with the dedication you know I served you with as your Fairmont City Councilman and did in the city of Madelia.

You’re hearing this directly from me. I have nothing to hide and came directly to you, so remember that when you vote on Nov. 6.

F. Jeffrey Weber

Fairmont