Miller picked as head of Iowa aging department

BY ED TIBBETTS

dpatel@qctimes.com

Linda Miller, the longtime state representative from Bettendorf, has been picked to be the new director of the Iowa Department on Aging.

Gov. Terry Branstad announced his selection Thursday. In a statement, the governor?s office said Miller resigned from her legislative seat Thursday and would begin her new job on Friday.

She replaces Donna Harvey, who resigned the position to take a job closer to her home in the Waterloo area, state officials said this fall.

Miller, a Republican who was elected to the Legislature in 2006, is a registered nurse who has long been involved in health care and human services issues. She chaired the House?s Human Resources Committee for six years and also was on the Appropriations subcommittee that oversaw the state?s human services budget.

Miller chose not to run for re-election this year and will be replaced by Rep.-elect Gary Mohr, a Bettendorf Republican.

?I?m honored to be chosen by the Branstad-Reynolds Administration to serve our senior citizen population in Iowa,? Miller said in a statement released by the governor?s office. ?As our growing senior citizen population ages, we need to be sure that Iowans have the resources and tools available to remain in their homes safely for as long as they wish. I will serve with this principle as my highest priority and look forward to the job in front of me and the Department.?

The position requires confirmation from the Iowa Senate, when it convenes early next year. The Department on Aging has an annual budget of about $29 million and has approximately 40 full-time employees.