After 14 years of working for the city of Picayune, Planning and Zoning Director Diane Miller will retire.
Miller said she began her career with the city as the administrative assistant to the city manager, a position she held under former city managers Reggie Frierson, J.P. Burns, Ed Pinero and Harvey Miller.
When Jim Luke, the current city manager, took the position in 2011, he assigned Miller to her current position as the Planning and Zoning director.
In that role, she has seen a number of changes take place within the city, especially in the areas of hurricane preparation and response. Other notable changes she’s seen entail the efforts put forth by Luke to beautify the city and preserve its history.
“I think he’s done a wonderful job with beautification,” Diane Miller said.
Before joining the city, Miller said she worked for an attorney, E.C. Stuart, for about 14 years.
Her favorite aspect of working at the city was the other staff.
“They may have been my friends when I got here, but now they are like family,” Miller said.
She also enjoyed working with Picayune Main Street, an organization she plans to continue her involvement in after she leaves her employment with the city on Friday.
Other than that, she has very few concrete plans for her retirement, other than traveling and finishing some projects. In fact, she told the city’s administration that she would be available on a part time basis if she were ever needed.
Luke said that in the interim Code Enforcement Officer Tom Milar will undertake Miller’s duties until a permanent replacement is found. To fill the position, Luke said that he will taking applications in house, for a three-day period, as per the city’s policy. He expects Milar will apply to assume the role permanently.
Luke described Miller as a dedicated employee willing to serve the city.
“We’re going to miss her,” Luke said.
Mayor Ed Pinero mirrored that sentiment, saying that Miller was key to the success of the city during her time, helping to revamp the Planning and Development office to ensure it ran smoothly.
“She will be greatly missed and hard to replace,” Pinero said.