Longtime lawmaker chosen to lead Iowa aging department

BETTENDORF - Linda Miller, a longtime state representative from Bettendorf, has been selected as the new director of the Iowa Department on Aging.

Gov. Terry Branstad announced the move Thursday. In a statement, the governor's office said Miller resigned her legislative seat Thursday and begins her new job 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. She long has 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.”

Miller's position requires confirmation from the state Senate, which convenes early next year. The Department on Aging has an annual budget of about $29 million and has about 40 full-time employees.