Embattled councilman back at work
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/19/2009 06:30:26 PM PDT
Updated: 08/19/2009 07:44:18 PM PDT

GRAND TERRACE - Councilman Jim Miller, who was arrested last month on a felony conflict-of-interest charge, returned to work at his county job Wednesday.

Miller heads the property management division for the county's real estate services department. He was placed on administrative leave following his July 15 arrest. He was on his own time for about a week, and then he was on paid leave, said county spokesman David Wert.

In his role as a councilman, Miller is accused of repeatedly voting to spend thousands of dollars in advertising with his wife's newspaper over the past two years.
Prosecutors say Miller voted on $18,000 worth of contracts for the Grand Terrace City News, a weekly publication.

The city ran legal ads in the community newspaper from 2006 to 2008.

Miller, 61, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 30 in San Bernardino Superior Court.

If convicted, Miller could spend up to three years in prison and could no longer hold public office.
He can keep his council seat while the case against him proceeds.

The county is watching to see how the legal process plays out.
"The review is ongoing in the sense that the county will closely monitor his work and keep abreast of developments in the criminal case," Wert said Wednesday in an e-mail.

Miller did not return a call seeking comment.

In a July 29 entry on his blog, Miller told supporters he would like to say more but isn't at liberty to discuss the situation.

"I sincerely apologize that I must protect myself and my family by remaining silent at this time," he wrote. "I look forward to the day when I can provide full disclosure. In the meantime, thank you for your understanding, kindness and patience."
stephen.wall@inlandnewspapers.com (909) 386-3916