As Councillor for the 9th District, M. Jacqueline (Jackie) Nytes represents one of the most diverse districts in the County, and she hopes to help preserve that rich mix of people as she works to improve and strengthen the community. Serving her third term on the City-County Council, Nytes believes that the City must continue to improve the housing stock available to residents, maintaining a healthy mix of housing options so that people at all income levels can continue to find a quality living option close to Downtown. Nytes believes that for the housing needs of her district to be met, the City must continue to work with the police to tackle crime, with Indianapolis Public Schools to strengthen education and with the business community to encourage job and opportunities in the area.
She supports and encourages participation in the arts so that the communities are better able to celebrate and enjoy their cultural heritage while increasing their understanding of each other. She is especially proud of her work to expand human rights protections in Indianapolis. Nytes currently serves as a member of the Administration and Finance, Metropolitan Development, and Municipal Corporations Committees.
Nytes has been a public librarian since 1975 in Illinois and Wisconsin, coming to the Carmel Clay Public Library in 1981. Following that she served at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library as Associate Director and CFO and as Adjunct faculty to the Graduate Library School at IUPUI. She served as the President of the Indiana Economic Development Council until 2005 and is currently the Executive Director of the Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation.
Nytes serves on the board of The International Center and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and as Chair of the French Market at St. Joan of Arc Church. She was originally appointed by Governor O'Bannon and continues to serve as an appointment of Governor Mitch Daniels to the Public Employees Retirement Fund 1977 Advisory Committee. She has served on the boards of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, the Mid-north Church Council, St. Richard's School, and Horizons.
Nytes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Masters in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin. In 2002, she was the Democratic candidate for Marion County Auditor and in 2005 received the Citizen of the Year Award from the Indiana Library Association. She also received the Frank and Judy O'Bannon Equality Award from the Stonewall Democrats in 2005 and the Chris Gonzales Award from the ACLU, as well as the Lambda Legal Leadership Award in 2006.
She and her husband of 29 years, Michael O'Brien, have one son, Patrick who is studying at Purdue
—a development that has broadened the vision of his UW Badger parents. Their interest in things international have led them to host over 90 foreign students from 20 different countries in their home in the last 21 years through Homestay International. They are committed to the revitalization of our older neighborhoods as a celebration of our history and a responsible step toward a more sustainable community. To this end, they have rehabbed three homes in the Mapleton-Fall Creek area, winning an award in 2008 from Historic Landmarks for their work on the Wilkinson Home, which had been used as various businesses for over fifty years and is once again a family home.