Kansas job may be next for Miller

The New Port Richey city manager says he's the top candidate in Leavenworth.

By JODIE TILLMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 31, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Scott Miller, in New Port Richey just three years, also sought a job in Ohio. [Handout]

NEW PORT RICHEY - When word got out two weeks ago that he applied for a position in Ohio, City Manager Scott Miller called his prospects for that job a "long shot."

What he did not say: He has a much better shot at a job in Leavenworth, Kan.

"He's a serious candidate," said Bob Saunders, head of Organization Consultants, a Missouri-based group charged with finding Leavenworth's next administrator. Saunders is checking Miller's references.

Miller said Tuesday that he is the Kansas city's top candidate. "We're in negotiations," he said. "If the terms are right, I'll go."

His three years in New Port Richey have been relatively light on controversy, and Miller had kept quiet his desire to seek other employment, even from City Council members.

Two weeks ago, when asked about applying for a Middletown, Ohio, city manager position, Miller told the Pasco Times that he picked that city because it is near his son and that he had not sent out other resumes.

He said Tuesday that he didn't mention Leavenworth because of the pending negotiations. He said he also applied to a third city, in the Northeast, but decided against pursuing it.

The 57-year-old administrator flew out for an interview in Kansas on Thursday, a scheduled personal day. He was back in town Friday night for a Ridgewood High School football game. Mayor Dan Tipton, the council member with whom Miller is closest, talked with him at the game over a dinner of hot dogs. But Miller didn't tell him about the Kansas position until Monday.

"It's obvious Scott is looking for some kind of change," said Tipton. "I'm disappointed. I'd hate to see him go."

Departing city managers have become a theme in Pasco this year. Port Richey and Dade City are searching for permanent city managers, and Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina announced plans to leave his post next year.

Exactly why Miller, who is divorced and lives alone, wants to move on is unclear. He said he likes the city and his employees but has a "combination of reasons" that include his frustration with the financial impact of state property tax legislation. "I'm not going to say anything more until I take the job," he said. "If I take the job."

Base pay for the Leavenworth position is $115,000, said Saunders. That's higher than Miller's New Port Richey salary of nearly $110,000.

Leavenworth is a city of about 37,000 people, roughly 30 minutes from Kansas City. It is home to a high-security federal prison and to a maximum-level military prison at the Army's Fort Leavenworth.

Jodie Tillman can be reached at jtillman@sptimes.com or 727 869-6247.

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 21:55:16]