Dan Miller is trading in his role as a city council member to be the city's new controller. He says his own frustration as a council member, under Mayor Stephen Reed's administration, was the driving motivation to run for the position. He says, "We had a very difficult time getting information from this administration. Things were done at midnight, last day of the year that were just not ethical."
He also plans to use the power of the office to audit parts of the city's finances, "We have the power to audit anything we think is appropriate. so first we have to get settled, then look at some of those items we might want to audit."
While he declined to give specifics, Miller has been an outspoken critic of Mayor Reed's spending on artifacts for the wild west museum. Many critics of the now-defunct project say it cost the city millions of dollars in reckless spending. Other key financial issues that are top concerns in the city include the incinerator, leasing the parking garages, and the also now defunct, National Sports Hall of Fame.
Miller says his major goal as Harrisburg's new controller will be bringing a new level of accessibility to the office. He plans to create a website with all the city's financial information available to the public, "All audits, all contracts, lets see who's behind the companies, any information that's needed so any citizen has access by going on line."
Miller has been serving on the city council for several years with Mayor-Elect Linda Thompson. He says they know each other's strengths and he thinks they'll have a good working relationship.
