Title
To recognize and congratulate State Senator Ray Miller upon his retirement from the 15th District of the Ohio Senate and thank him for his 33 years of service and dedication to the City of Columbus and the State of Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, Senator Ray Miller is a native of Hampton, Virginia and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and his Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from The Ohio State University; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller was the 14th African-American elected to the Ohio Senate in the state's 205-year history and recently served as the Minority Whip of the Senate; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller was the chief sponsor of some of the most significant health care, human services and education legislation ever enacted in the State of Ohio including the creation of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, the Community Mental Health Act of 1988, and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, where he served as Founder and Chairman. He established the nation's first state-level funding for the Head Start Program and was known as the "Father of Head Start Funding" in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller authored legislation which established the Institute for Urban Education at Central State University and established a 25% set aside for minority health programs from Ohio's 10 billion dollar Tobacco Settlement Agreement and successfully lobbied the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board to establish a memorial in the State Capitol Building recognizing the accomplishments of George Washington Williams, who was elected in 1879 as Ohio's first African-American legislator. Miller is also the chief sponsor of legislation which created the Ohio African-American Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, nationally, Senator Miller served on the White House staff as Deputy Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter and as the Assistant Director of Legislation for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Vice-President of Minority Affairs for Columbus State Community College; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller is highly regarded as an expert in the development of public policy on health, education, and human service issues and received more than 500 community, state and national awards; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller is a member of Second Baptist Church and a life member of the NAACP and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He served on the boards of the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Ohio Commission on African-American Males; and
WHEREAS, Senator Miller established the Center for Urban Progress which partners with the African-American and African Studies Community Extension Center of the Ohio State University to conduct The Ray Miller Institute for Change and Leadership. The Institute utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach for the teaching of essential leadership skills and attributes to African-Americans who aspire to be change agents within their local communities; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize and congratulate State Senator Ray Miller upon his retirement from the 15th District of the Ohio Senate and thank him for his 33 years of service and dedication to the City of Columbus and the State of Ohio.