A resident of the Village of Garden City for over 20 years, Dr. Barbara Miller is one of the two new trustees who were elected into office on March 21 and assumed office at 12 noon on April 3.

Prior to taking on the role of village trustee, Dr. Miller was the president of the Central Property Owner's Association, a position she held for three years. When asked how she felt about her new role, Dr. Miller responded, "I'm delighted and really thrilled to have this opportunity to give back to the community in this new leadership role. I've been sitting on the other side of trustees' meetings for almost four years, at almost every meeting and I feel I certainly have an overall relationship with members of the board. I think it's just a wonderful opportunity to step up to the plate and look at these various situations before the village from a formal village-wide perspective."

This isn't the first time Dr. Miller has "stepped up to the plate" when the occasion has called for it. Knowing how active she was with the various professional organizations she is involved in, Miller's neighbors called on her to become active in the village when issues such as the DANTH report and the plan to move Village Hall and put a supermarket in that location came to light. Her neighbors recognized Miller's leadership ability and called on her to help them make their voices heard.

From there Dr. Miller became involved in the CPOA, where she served as chairperson of the nominating committee before becoming president.

Miller feels that her position as president of the CPOA helped prepare her for the role of trustee because by attending the various meetings as president she became well-versed on what the roles of the different commissions and boards are. As issues that affected the Central portion of the village were raised, Miller attended the meetings of those particular boards and commissions in order to be able to inform the residents of Central about what was going on. "I think the uniqueness of our government is that you have an obligation to really inform and be informed by your POAs so I had certainly a goal as the president of Central, to bring communication to the residents, whether it was the park issue or whatever issue. I think we spent a great deal of time making sure our residents were informed. For example when there was a proposal for a park on Sixth Street we not only sent all residents notification but we made sure that every person who was directly impacted was aware of it and knew about the special meetings about it," said Dr. Miller.

Keeping residents informed is something that Miller sees as being an important role of not only the property owners' associations, but the village board as well. "What I can lend to the board is that perspective that we must keep our residents informed," stated Miller. She went on to note that the mayor, in the past year has also demonstrated his and the board's commitment to keeping residents informed so that they might make informed decisions. Miller added, "As a village trustee I must look at all pieces and I'll be encouraging POAs or commissions or boards to continue to get the input of the residents and other involved parties. Then decisions are informed and not just reactions."

Another perspective that Dr. Miller brings to the board is that of a woman. Currently the only female member of the village board, Miller noted that she would like to see more women involved in the various forms of government.

Dr. Miller noted that there are currently many issues facing the village that the board will have to deal with. One of the largest issues looming is the issue of what will happen with St. Paul's. While she could not comment on the Kenny litigation, Dr. Miller did state that the preservation of that historical building is a major concern of hers and the other trustees. Dr. Miller added that the board's decision to put $1.2 million into this year's budget for maintenance and repair work on the St. Paul's building is just another example of the village's commitment to the preservation. She added that if the current plan for CareMatrix to come in and turn the building into an assisted living facility does not come to fruition, then she hopes that somebody else will come forth with another viable option for the building.

Another area Miller sees as being an issue in the village currently is the renovation of Village Hall. She noted that the board is currently waiting for the plans for the renovation to be pared down so it can come in under the planned budget for that project. She feels the this renovation, especially the new technology will, "really push us into the 21st century, which we have to be."

The revitalization of Franklin Avenue is another issue that the board has been and continues to deal with. Dr. Miller noted how that project is coming along and how many buildings have been bought or renovated since the revitalization efforts began. Commenting that the revitalization may not have taken place exactly how it was originally envisioned, Miller added, "I think it's magnificent and everyone seems pleased with it." Tied in with the revitalization, Dr. Miller also commented on the parking study which is currently in the hands of the planning commission. "It sounds to me like we have the perfect opportunity to be very creative in handling the situation, whether it's called the reallocation of parking or meeting the parking needs of this community...We have a very able planning commission that will analyze the data that's given to them by the consultants and they've made a commitment to listen to the community residents as well as the businesses so I believe they will give the trustees a very informed decision in terms of their recommendations."

Although, she noted that the village does have more parking than many surrounding villages, Dr. Miller added, "You still have to balance it with the concerns and views of not only the residents but our businesses. I think we have a very cordial and respectful relationship between the residents and the business district and I think the past few boards have really tried to maintain excellent relationships and that's what I would support - that we get along." Dr. Miller and her husband, Dr. Russell Miller have both been very active in the study of the parking situation in the village and the concerns that the residents have regarding the proposed measures to alleviate and parking shortages.

The Millers have two grown children and are currently raising their granddaughter who attends the middle school. Dr. Barbara Miller has a private psychotherapy practice and is a visiting professor at the NYU Division of Nursing graduate program.

Of being trustee, Miller concluded, "I look forward to working with all the trustees including the To Be Announced Trustee and I know that we will continue to work together really to maintain the quality of life and integrity of this village."