When will Equal Justice be Insited Upon?

Grand Terrace councilman pleads not guilty to conflict of interest

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 14, 2010
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise


Grand Terrace Councilman Jim Miller pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to a felony conflict-of-interest charge in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

His attorney, Richard M. Ewaniszyk, entered the plea on Miller's behalf in the arraignment proceeding, which lasted only a few minutes. Miller will return to court on Feb. 1.

Miller was arrested July 15 on a charge stemming from votes he made as a councilman for payments to the Grand Terrace City News for legal advertisements from Oct. 26, 2006, through Aug. 12, 2008. His wife, Margie Miller, owns the weekly newspaper.

More than a dozen of the councilman's supporters filled the courtroom to watch the proceedings. He thanked them afterward and urged them to "Keep the faith."

"They've been here all along and we're grateful for that," Jim Miller said. "We're hoping for a quick ending."

Miller's votes on the contracts were part of the council's approval of the consent calendar in which several routine items are approved in a single vote.

Prosecutors have said Miller benefited financially from his votes because of his wife's ownership of the paper.

Jim Miller told investigators he did not think he had a conflict of interest because he did not own any part of his wife's business.

However, in a financial disclosure statement filed Sept. 7, 2007, he stated that he owned less than 10 percent of the business's total worth.

Both he and his wife have said the paper stopped accepting advertisement from the city when the city attorney advised them of a potential conflict of interest.

Miller faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.
Reach Imran Ghori at 951-368-9558 or ighori@PE.com

Gramps Notes:

If Miller's Case goes on without similar or more critical charges not being levied against Bea Cortez for her involvement with the Payments on the Consent Calender, Contract Approvals, Negotiations of the Real Estate Broker and Terra Loma Real Estate while she was both a Council Member and Mayor Protem and a Sales Associate for Terra Loma. Even going so far as to Cross Advertise the fact in local news papers linking both functions business and politics.

If Miller's Case goes further than the actions of Tom Schwab and Steve Berry should also result in a court case as it is in part their Cover Up of a Criminal Investigation of Steve Berry that was the tipping point causing the Wrath of Steve Berry to go to the DA's Office and insist upon a complaint to be filed and a warrant issued against Jim Miller.

So when will the DA's Investigation of Bea Cortes , Steve Berry and Tom Schwab result in warrants for their arrest and a trial for their transgressions. WHEN....

Who holds the DA accountable? Well that is a County and State or perhaps even a Federal issue and GT is the topic of this blog.