Stephen Miller’s resignation letter

ROYAL OAK — City Commissioner Stephen Miller has resigned his seat, saying he was done with the politics and games involved with holding the position.

“I don’t need this stress anymore,” he said. “I’m just sick and tired of people lying about me and trashing my family name.”

Miller, first elected in 2005, had earlier indicated he planned to run for mayor in the 2009 election, before backing off that claim and then pulling petitions to run again for city commissioner. He said on June 5 that he never had any intention of turning in the petitions in the fall.

Miller said he was “sick of the games” and that all he ever wanted to do was save the city money. Through various efforts, he said that once everything is implemented, he would have saved the city approximately $4 million.

His resignation came on June 3, the morning after it was revealed that the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department was looking into wrongdoing among members of the City Commission. Miller said the investigation had nothing to do with his resignation.

“I turned in my letter of resignation before I knew anything about that,” he said. Miller said he first heard about the investigation at a hearing the night before, but didn’t inquire further about the details of it until after he resigned.

City Commissioner Michael Andrzejak said he was saddened to hear that Miller was leaving the commission early.

“Everyone who is up here brings a wealth of experience, and for Steve, it happened to be in the budget area,” Andrzejak said. “That’s where the city needs help the most right now. It’s indisputable that his ideas have saved Royal Oak millions of dollars.”

He said it is unfortunate if anyone has to step down because they felt pressure to do so, and said he hopes Miller stays active in the community.

“We thank Mr. Miller for his years of service and we wish him well in future endeavourers,” Mayor Jim Ellison said after being asked for comment on the resignation.

He said he hopes the commission can fill Miller’s seat.

“I feel like we need to get someone in that spot,” Ellison said. “I don’t like having an even number of members, because then you have to deal with ties (in voting).”

The City Commission must first accept his letter of resignation, which would likely happen at the June 15 regular meeting.

City Attorney Dave Gillam said in the event of a resignation, the City Charter says the position is to be filled by vote of the majority of the remaining members of the City Commission. In this case, four of the six would have to agree on a new member to fill out the remaining six months of Miller’s term.

“The process that has been followed in the past is the commission has solicited letters of interest from the public to fill the balance of the vacant term,” Gillam said.

With the election fast approaching, Andrzejak said he would like to see someone appointed who has not declared his or her intention of running for City Commission. Or perhaps, he said, leave the seat vacant and simply let the voters decide in November.

Miller, a semi-retired accountant, pushed for cost-saving ideas for the general fund including charging the Solid Waste fund for the removal of dead trees, and uncovering $1.7 million that could be used from the court facility fund. His term in office was also fraught with several public spats with fellow city commissioners, and in 2007, he was arrested and charged with drunken driving in Berkley. Miller eventually pleaded no contest to a charge of driving while impaired and was sentenced to probation.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Carroll at jcarroll@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1110.