Miller was set to retire

Twenty-five years ago this week, Betty Miller had cleaned off her desk.

The Dec. 23, 1995, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about Miller, who was retiring after serving as Portland’s clerk-treasurer for 16 years.

“Betty Miller’s desk didn’t look right,” the story by Ed Balint read. “You could see the top of it.”

Miller had cleared off the piles of city contracts, legal advertisements, tax forms, grant applications, meeting minutes and other paperwork as she prepared to leave office. The Republican had served four terms before choosing not to seek re-election. She was to be succeeded by Democrat Barbara Blackford.

The 67-year-old summed up her job in simple terms, saying that it was her job to follow through on every city council action until its completion. Among the projects she was a part of were grants that aided in attracting the Tyson Mexican Original Plant, replacing 100-year-old water mains and completing a sewer project in partnership with the county.

As she looked back on her time in city government, Miller recalled her first run for office.

“Someone asked me to file and I thought about it for a long time,” she said. “I seated over it because I’m really a shy person. I had trouble applying for a job or asking for a raise and here I am before all the citizens of Portland, and asking for a job. That was hard for me.”

But then she grinned.

“I always thought this was the neatest job in the town anyway,” she said. “I really enjoyed it.”