SIMI VALLEY : Top Vote-Getter Miller Is Sworn In

Three weeks after sweeping to victory as the top vote-getter in the race for Simi Valley City Council, former police chief Lindsey Paul Miller was sworn in Tuesday at an evening ceremony at City Hall.

Looking tan and well-rested after a dune-buggy vacation in Imperial County, Miller cheerfully took his oath of office and promised to “keep safety the city’s top priority.”

Miller, 56, was chief of the Simi Valley Police Department for 12 years before retiring in February. During his tenure, the city was consistently rated one of the safest urban areas of its size in the country.

Before coming to Simi Valley, Miller briefly studied to become a Presbyterian minister and then switched careers, serving for 20 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

In a humorous and sometimes moving speech, Miller thanked the council for giving him the seat on the dais closest to the door.

“This is the best chair because it’s closest to the door and the bathroom,” he said. “And if things go wrong, I can split.”

Miller thanked his supporters and his wife, Connie, “who probably had a different picture in mind when I retired. Thank you, my dear.”

Miller replaces Judy Mikels, who was elected to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

Also sworn in were Councilwoman Sandi Webb for a second four-year term and Mayor Greg Stratton for a fifth two-year term.