Waterfront Park renamed to honor Don and Candice Miller

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Waterfront Park in Harrison Township has been renamed the Don and Candice Miller Park in honor of the couple who served Harrison Township, Macomb County, the state of Michigan and the country throughout their careers.

A few places in Harrison Township are named after people who served the township: Trombley Fields, after Aloysius Trombley, and Rosso Memorial Hall, named after Floyd Rosso. Both were public servants.

“When I considered the amount of service both from Don and Candice,” Harrison Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest said, “They were both really very strong public servants.”

Verkest said he proposed the idea of renaming the park to the Harrison Township Board of Trustees and they agreed to rename it to honor the Millers.

On June 3, public officials gathered to plant five trees at the rededication.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said it was quite a surprise when Verkest contacted her about the resolution.

“Really, an incredible honor,” she said. “I feel very humbled by it.”

Candice Miller said she can speak on behalf of Don and that he would also say it’s a great honor.

Candice said she met Don when she was the Harrison Township supervisor in her 20s. At the time, he was the base commander at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

He started flying at 16 and earned his pilot’s license at 17. His obituary says he was commissioned as a United States Air Force officer in 1961. During the Vietnam War, he flew in the 509th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

“When he came out of the Air Force, he served in the Air National Guard for decades,” Candice said.

Before he served his country, Don received a law degree and after he retired from military service, he worked as an attorney. Candice said he served as an appellate judge for the Workers Compensation Appellate Commission.

“And then he was appointed as a (16th) Circuit Court judge and then, of course, ran for reelection a couple, three times,” Candice said.

She said he had around 12 years on the bench at the 16th Judicial Circuit Court in Macomb County.

He died from Alzheimer’s disease on Jan. 18, 2019, at the age of 80, and Candice said it is a very brutal disease.

“I think almost every family has been touched by it in some way,” Candice said.

Candice Miller also has a storied career. According to the Macomb County website, she was elected as Harrison Township supervisor in 1980, becoming the youngest person and first woman to hold that seat. In 1992, she was elected as the Macomb County treasurer and in 1994, she was elected as Michigan secretary of state. She was also the first woman to lead the Secretary of State office.

In 2002, she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and served on various committees during her tenure.  She returned to Macomb County and was elected as the public works commissioner in 2016.

Verkest said before Candice came back, the office was a mess, but that she turned it around.

It was Candice’s idea to plant a tree at the park, which ended up being five. She said planting trees speaks to the strength of the community.

“That’s how I think of Harrison Township,” Candice said. “It’s a very strong community. A community of faith, of family, of community. People stick together.”

She said the trees also symbolize a commitment to the environment.

Verkest said renaming a park or a building in Harrison Township is not a causal decision but that it is an option if the circumstances warrant it.

“It’s something that you do a very limited amount of times,” Verkest said.