KENNEWICK, Wash. –
A staple in the local justice community… has hung up his hat. Benton County Prosecutor… Andy Miller… is now the former prosecutor.
He retired last week… after 40 years on the job.
Miller says the words he lived by while in office are: work hard, be nice to people, and try cases.
Miller has deep roots in the Tri-Cities, he’s a graduate of Richland High School.
His mom and dad moved to Richland after his dad finished his chemical engineering degree at Kansas University.
Miller tells me his mom didn’t like Richland at first.
“When my mom woke up in the morning and saw Richland, she started crying. Back then there were no trees, it was dusty, and dad promised her they’d only stay for two years to save money, and then they would move,” said Miller
Miller’s parents eventually fell in love with the Tri-Cities and never left.
Miller served as Benton County Prosecutor for over 30 years.
He attended the University of Washington Law School and said the only took his first job offer at the prosecutor’s office to escape his parent’s basement.
“The first job offer was a deputy prosecutor. I didn’t think I’d be a prosecutor, I thought this would be a good start to my career,” said Miller.
Voters first elected Miller as the Benton County Prosecutor in 1986.
Miller said one of the accomplishments that he’s most proud of is implementing new programs to help people.
“I said let’s give drug court a try, let’s give veterans court a try, and let’s give mental health court a try. I think that really helped get those programs off the ground,” said Miller.
Miller was the longest-sitting prosecutor and longest-serving Benton County elected official in history.
Miller made the decision to retire last year and knows the office will be in good hands.
The thing that Miller wants to be remembered for is achieving justice and what he hopes people will say about his time in office:
“He made Benton County a safer place to live and made Benton County a more just place to live.
Andy Miller received some advice from fellow Richland native and former U.S. Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis, which is to not make any decisions for three months.
Miller still wants to give back to the community but for right now he just wants to spend some time outdoors doing some hiking.
