A celebration of life for former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller has been planned for 2 p.m. Jan. 31 at The Granada, 1214 State St. The event is open to the public.
Miller was 90 years old when she died last Wednesday at her home.
Long active in city politics and advocacy, Miller was was elected mayor of Santa Barbara in 1995 and served until 2001, and she served on the City Council from 1987 to 1994.
“She really was a trailblazer,” said Mary Rose, who is helping coordinate the event and ran Miller’s campaign when she ran for mayor. “Almost every decade of her life was a new chapter, and that’s part of her inspiration.”
Miller began her career as a chemist for Atlantic Richfield in the 1940s and went on to become one of the first women to be elected to a statewide position in Montana, where she served as superintendent of schools.
Miller’s legacy in Santa Barbara was that she retired here but stayed incredibly active in political life, Rose said.
Miller also was active in numerous other organizations, including the National League of Cities and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. She also served on the board of the Environmental Defense Center, and was the director of the AARP in Washington, D.C.
She also was instrumental in the restoration effort of The Granada, of which she served on the board of directors.
“She inspired a lot of people to get involved with politics,” Rose said. “We saw the end of her career, and it’s very inspiring.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.
