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Highlands Today

Small Town Atmosphere Brought New Public Works Director

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Rob Miller the City of Sebring's new Director of Public Works overseas 13 full-time employees, one part-time employee and the City's sanitation department.

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: January 5, 2009

SEBRING - The city's new Public Works Director, Robert "Rob" Miller, 38, said he likes the small-town atmosphere he's found here since he moved to Sebring with his family from Virginia.

His wife is named Trinny, short for Trinidad, and they have two sons Chris, 14, Caleb, 4, and a daughter, Chanel, who is 2.

Miller said he was born in a small town, Effingham, Ill., located between St. Louis and Indianapolis, on Interstate 70, where he grew up in a family much like his own, with two brothers - Jerry and Jeff and a sister Felicia.

"It was named after Lord Effingham, or maybe it's just something they said to make us feel better about having such a bad name for a town," Miller said.

"Effingham is named for Effingham County, which was named after Edward Effingham, who resigned his commission as general in the British army in 1775, refusing to serve in the war against the colonies," according to Wikipedia.

His brother Jerry is named after his dad Jerry so it's a wonder Miller wasn't named Jim, or Joe, or John, or some other "J" name, he agreed.

His mother, Maureen, happened to like Winnie the Pooh, and said he was almost named after the character Christopher Robin. He felt lucky that Christopher Robin didn't stick, so it's "Robert Christopher."

At age 10, he moved to San Diego, Calif., with his mom.

"I thought it was the end of the world," he said. "It was so different from where I came from where there were forests and wildlife, and San Diego was desert."

He and Trinny met in San Diego while he worked for the city of Escondido, which is about 30 miles away.

"She was a waitress in a Chinese restaurant in San Diego," Miller began. "My friends kept after me, 'Man you've got to meet this girl; she's gorgeous.' So I did."

He agreed to meet two of his coworkers at the restaurant one day.

"I walked in and asked her in Spanish for the old, wrinkled guy and the short guy," he said. "Those were my first words to her.

"That was the phrase that won her heart, I guess. Next thing I knew I was having lunch there four - five times a week."

From about 1998 to 2003 he entered competitive bodybuilding contests, he said.

"I worked out with my boss in Escondido," he said. "He got me interested."

He said he would go in to the Chinese restaurant several times a week and order a bowl of white rice and tip Trinny $20. She didn't let anyone else wait on him.

"That's all I would eat, that and a bowl of plain oatmeal for breakfast," he said. "As it got closer to a competition I would carry a bottle of water, but would only swish my mouth out."

Coming To Sebring

He and the family arrived at the end of November and Miller started working on Dec. 1.

"Trinny is a stay-at-home mom, as long as her sanity holds out," he said on Tuesday. "The kids are loving Sebring. Chris starts school (today)."

Before coming to Sebring Miller was the maintenance operations manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation, in Warsaw, Va., where for about a year he oversaw four counties, and directly supervised four superintendents and five supervisors.

When asked if he had any hobbies, hunting and fishing came to mind.

"That's probably one of the things I liked about Virginia," he said. "There was certainly plenty of that."

He said besides going hunting and fishing, he and his family enjoy getting out in their boat for some water skiing and tubing. He also enjoys watching high school football, he said.

"I know my wife thinks shopping is a hobby," he joked. "But it really cuts into the football time."

His mom still lives in Virginia, but it was strictly coincidence that they ended up in the same state. His dad lives in Illinois and works in construction on roads and bridges.

"That's really why I got into the whole public works aspect of things," he said.

Before Virginia he worked 16 years for the city of Escondido; including two years as a field engineering associate from 2005 to 2007; two years as a public works maintenance superintendent from 2003 to 2005; and five years as a crew supervisor from 1998 to 2003.

Miller graduated from Poway High School, in Poway, Calif., and at the time he applied for the city job HE reported being just one course away from completing his associate degree in public works administration.

He has replaced Roads, Buildings and Grounds Superintendent George Fox, who retired Dec. 31, after 30-plus years with the city.

According to the city's Web site, the Public Works Department, located at 1421 Hawthorne Drive, consists of four divisions with 13 full-time employees and one part-time employee; all under Miller's supervision.

Miller will also oversee the city's solid waste department.

Solid Waste Superintendent Earnest Johnson will continue the day-to-day operations of the department, but will report to Miller.

Miller was chosen from a field of 41 applicants, which was shortlisted to the top four candidates.

"We're very pleased with this young man," Mayor George Hensley said when he recommended that the council hire him. "He's a family man looking forward to moving to Florida; not only moving to Florida, but moving to Sebring. This young man is a quality individual, highly qualified, highly motivated."

Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .

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