Peter Miller recently became NJMMA’s newest life member, an honor reserved for distinguished members of the association. “Being bestowed life membership by NJMMA is priceless,” Miller said. “It puts an exclamation point on my career.”
Life membership is conferred by the Executive Board of the Association by a two-thirds majority vote when a Full Member in good standing retires or leaves the profession. These individuals must also meet certain criteria, including being a member of various state municipal management associations for at least 15 years, of which 10 years must be as a member of NJMMA. They must also participate in at least three of the following:
- Member of Association Executive Board
- Association officer
- Association Committee chair
- Association program leader or organizer
- Active Committee member for two or more years in an ICMA committee
Miller received a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1976, where he graduated first in his class. He has been a member of NJMMA since 1976, and his New Jersey-based local government career has spanned more than 40 years for four different municipalities.
His work in local government has taken him into the four corners of New Jersey – Maple Shade (Burlington County), Leonia (Bergen County), Phillipsburg (Warren County), and Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County). He spent the last 32 years of his career in Egg Harbor serving as its Township Administrator before his retirement on May 1, 2021.
Some of Miller’s career highlights include serving as township administrator for Egg Harbor, one of the state’s fastest growing municipalities, from 1990 to 2010. In that period, the population grew by almost 20,000 residents, with the majority of the growth occurring from 1994-2008.
That growth required visionary skills, with the uniqueness of small town detail. He also provided oversight of the development, financing and construction of the first golf course in New Jersey, McCullough's Emerald Golf Links, that was built on a former brownfield, a closed landfill in the area, which was built at no cost to the taxpayer and with no assistance from the State. Miller was recognized by NJMMA in 2002 as Outstanding Manager for this project. In 2022, the golf course is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“NJMMA has been a bedrock of support for me throughout my entire career,” Miller said. “My fellow professionals have always been willing to share their experience. More than a few have been very instrumental in the success of my career.”