Bob Miller's Madison County roots go back a long, long time. His kindergarten teacher was a Yowell from Etlan. His grandfather Reverend Boehm (eight generations back) preached at the Hebron Lutheran Church as part of his duties while attending seminary school in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Bob himself has been a resident of Madison County since 1976, when he came for an extended visit and was so enthralled with the people and the beauty of this county, that he packed up his belongings and moved down from Pennsylvania the following week. He's been working to help preserve that rural character ever since.

     He has had various professional pursuits while residing here in Madison County. He was an Optician, and for 7 years had his own shop on the south end of Main Street. Following that, he built an ethanol fuel plant near Wolftown that distilled more than three million gallons of fuel alcohol annually. Fuel alcohol is a renewable agricultural resource which allows our vehicles to burn cleaner while using proportionally less petroleum based fuels. This plant was an example of what he calls "in-community" economic development. Most recently, he co-founded and managed a computer technology firm which still employs Madison County residents. He, his wife Kathy, and two dogs live near Ruth.

    Bob has been an active volunteer in Madison county through a number of different organizations. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Optimists of Greater Madison, the Blue Ridge Foothills Conservancy, is currently on the Board for the Madison County Task Force for Sustainable Growth, and the Madison County Library.

     With the help of others, he built and maintains a web site called MadisonMatters.com. This web site communicates information about Madison County to citizens and visitors about the decisions, policies and actions of the governing officials of Madison County, as well as general information about Madison for newcomers and long time residents of Madison County. He has also revised and edited a Citizens' Handbook of Planning and Zoning for Madison County.

     Bob is passionate about aiding Madison County to make smart choices in the future. He is vitally committed to helping Madison to maintain its rural character. He thinks Madison is facing serious challenges from development pressures and changing demographics, and he wants to help bring citizens back into government and make sure that Madison County remains the place we love.

     Bob ran for a seat on the Madison County Board of Supervisors in November of 2001. Out of nine candidates vying for three seats Bob finished fourth behind Mr. Jimmy Hale by only 177 votes. One of the many things Bob did in 2001 to prepare for a seat on the Board was to attend the Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership. This year Bob is enrolled in two courses that will better prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead - The Virginia Natural Leadership Institute at the University of Virginia, and "Shaping the Future" at Lord Fairfax Community College. "Both of these intensive courses have improved my leadership skills and expanded my knowledge and awareness of the problems we face and, more importantly, the potential solutions to those problems."

     "We all have some notion of what direction we think is best for Madison County, where we want to be and how we ought to get there. The role of local government is to provide the means through thoughtful and open deliberation, to ensure that we all get there together. "

     As a citizen's advocate, Bob pledges his constant attention to achieving the appropriate balance that will ensure that today's residents of Madison county will enjoy the growth and opportunities that marks our great potential, with an equally dedicated responsibility to our children and all future generations that they will know and enjoy what makes Madison County great today.