Miller speaks out, answers to taxpayers

Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden should be ashamed for his recent inflammatory and unsubstantiated criticism of Linn County Auditor Joel Miller. His job is to enforce the law, not engage in public personal attacks.

All he needed to state was that after a thorough investigation there was insufficient evidence to file charges.

As a newspaper reporter, my first contact with Miller came several years ago when local Democrats successfully gerrymandered voting districts so that two incumbent supervisors didn't have to run against each other.

In my opinion, to use the words Vander Sanden leveled against Miller in his latest rant, it smacked of “blatant cronyism.”

As the county administrator of elections and a former mayor of Robins, Miller spoke out in opposition and angered fellow Democratic leaders who have since tried to run him out of office.

It's been my view that Miller sees his role as beholden to the taxpayers of Linn County and not to the political insiders who for too long have not had anyone challenge their unchecked authority.

Tom Fruehling

Cedar Rapids