Miller, an academic adviser and coordinator of the National Student Exchange, is running for a 42nd district seat in next year's election.
"Towson has been a part of my life for more than 25 years," she said. "It's been a part of my life since before I had kids, and I wanted to start the campaign with family."
The campaign is Miller's first foray into the political arena. She decided to run after her son, Nicholas Ziolkowski, was killed in Fallujah, Iraq in November 2004.
"After Nicky was killed, and after I came out of my fog and decided that I needed to start doing something productive â€" that I wasn't going to sit and mope â€" but I wanted to move on in a way that would have meaning not only for my life but for his," she said. "I decided that what I wanted to do was something that would take what he was trying to do in making the world a better place."
Before his death, Ziolkowski had hoped to enroll at Towson this fall.
Miller noted that she would bring a Democratic voice back to the 42nd district of the House of Delegates.
Currently, the district is comprised of Democratic state senator James Brochin, and three Republican delegates: John Trueschler, Susan Aumann and William Frank. Trueschler has decided not to run for re-election.
"I've always thought of the Democratic Party as the party that cares about the people, versus the Republican Party as the party that cares about business," she said. "Now that's very simplistic, and they shouldn't be exclusive, but I've always thought of them that way, business versus people."
Miller's campaign has strong Towson roots. Gary Rosecrans, a former Towson department chair, is heading the campaign committee. Accounting chairperson Lamont Steedle is the treasurer.
Miller had a table at the Student Involvement Fair. She said over 30 students signed up to help. The volunteers will be answering phones, preparing mailings, going door to door and helping raise funds.
Miller said she is careful not to mix her work at Towson and her political aspirations.
"When I'm around students, doing anything for my job, I don't talk about the campaign," she said. The campaigning will ramp up in the spring, in time for the September primary.
Towson lawyer Andy Belt has also filed to run for the delegate seat as a Democrat.
Miller has lobbied in Annapolis on behalf of the League of Women Voters and the Citizen's Planning and Housing Association, but she doesn't have a lot of political experience.
"I'm not a politician," she said. "What I am is somebody who has always believed in helping people. That's why I have the job that I have."
Before leaving for Iraq, Ziolkowski told Miller: "It's so beautiful here, and I want to make sure it's still beautiful for my children and grandchildren."
Miller said she wants to make sure we "don't do anything to mess up the environment more than it already is."
She is also interested in assessing and improving public transportation in the district. Miller hopes to promote the fact that she is not a political veteran.
"I think the last political session in Annapolis was really mean and back-biting," Miller said.
"I'm not like that. I think we need to bring a sense of real people, and the way real people behave, and what real people want, to the legislature."
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