Waite Park Proclaims April 21st as Rick Miller Day to Honor Longtime Mayor’s Decades of Service

(KNSI) — The Waite Park City Council is honoring a long serving former mayor with his own day.

Monday, April 21st, is being proclaimed as Rick Miller Day.

In the official proclamation, April is designated as National Volunteer Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of volunteers. Current Mayor Kenneth Schmitt says honoring Miller this month, “seems very fitting given his long standing service to this
community where he dedicated over three decades to the betterment of the City of Waite Park and the State of Minnesota.”

Miller served on the City Council from 1986 to 1995 and was then elected mayor in 1996. He served in the office until 2001 and returned as a write-in candidate in 2007, continuing in that role until 2024.

Before his tenure as a civil servant, Miller served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1981 and was a member of the police reserve and rescue squad. Miller was involved in Waite Park Little League, the Kids Fishing Tournament, and the Lions Club. The proclamation says he was also instrumental in the creation of River’s Edge Park as a top baseball facility, the construction of the new Public Works Facility, the Ledge Amphitheater, and landing state support for the Public Safety Sales Tax to fund public facilities.

Miller participated in the League of Minnesota Cities and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, where he was a tireless advocate for the interests of smaller cities and their residents.

The meeting gets underway tonight at 6:30.

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