Editor, Times-Union: Ms. Gooding, in her letter to the editor published 7.11.12, was well written and accurately described the numerous contributions made to our community by Dr. and Mrs. Dane Miller. Thus, from that point of view, I have no contest with her letter.
Beyond that, I would like to represent another perspective.
First, she described a personal hardship imposed upon her business and family by a trusted employee, “who has since pleaded guilty”. She then provided two more examples of illegal acts of local employees, which were given attention in the newspaper.
My contest with Ms. Gooding is that in the three examples discussed, the guilty outcome has been validated. In the current situation, there has been no guilt established, nor has there even been evidence of betrayal presented. So far, all that has been published is the filing of a lawsuit, and as any reader of the Times-Union knows, numerous lawsuits are filed in our county every week and published in a designated section of the paper.
The facts are that Mr. Wilcoxson has not been found guilty of breaking any law, nor has he been found to have betrayed anyone. Time and the courts will likely provide answers down the road, but for now, I believe it is improper to assume both guilt and betrayal.
I confess to having a bias. Brent Wilcoxson and I were business associates for a number of years, and during that time, I came to know him quite well, and stand firmly behind his integrity during our association
Additionally, I’m convinced that the Village at Winona, as we know it, would not exist if it weren’t for Brent’s vision, hard work and endurance. Of course, Brent didn’t accomplish the project on his own. Clearly it was an effective partnership between him and Dr. Miller. However, absent Brent’s passion for our town, and his vision for what Winona Lake could be, little would have been done.
I conclude by restating that I have the upmost respect for Dr. and Mrs. Miller (Ms. Gooding effectively communicated their numerous contributions). I also have immense respect for Brent and Deb Wilcoxson. It is my prayer that these differences, whatever they may be, can be resolved with no further damage to either family or our town.
