Matt Miller (mayor)

Matt Miller is an American politician who serves as the mayor of Ashland, Ohio. He won election to the office in November 2017 and took office the following January as the 54th person to hold the position in the city.^[1][2] Miller came to the role after serving in local elected office and a state government position and his administration has centered on economic development along with major infrastructure and redevelopment initiatives in Ashland.

Miller previously served two full terms as an Ashland County commissioner and later worked as deputy director of business and human resources for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 3 office located in Ashland.^[1] At the time he ran for mayor he held an at-large seat on the Ashland City Council which he resigned before taking the new office.^[2] These experiences formed the foundation for his focus on practical local governance and collaboration with other officials.

Matt Miller entered the 2017 race for mayor of Ashland and became the first candidate to file petitions for the position in late 2016.^[1] He campaigned on themes of economic development and greater involvement in addressing community issues such as the local drug problem.^[3] Miller won the general election held on November 7 2017 by a wide margin receiving 3,448 votes to defeat opponent Sandra Tunnell who received 1,070 votes according to the Ashland County Board of Elections.^[1][2]

The decisive victory allowed Miller to succeed Duane Fishpaw who had served as appointed mayor since January 2017 after the previous officeholder retired.^[2] Miller resigned his city council seat effective December 31 2017 in order to assume the mayoral position.^[1] His campaign had included extensive outreach to voters and he expressed thanks to supporters while promising to work toward a prosperous future for the community.^[2]

Miller officially became mayor of Ashland at midnight on January 1 2018 following his resignation from city council the previous evening.^[2] A public swearing-in ceremony took place the next day on January 2 2018 at Ashland High School’s Archer Auditorium.^[4] United States Senator Rob Portman administered the oath of office to Miller and two newly elected city council members during the event which was intentionally planned as a demonstration of community unity.^[2]

In remarks connected to the ceremony Miller outlined priorities that included efforts to address the local drug epidemic promotion of economic development and increased transparency so that residents could participate more fully in city decision-making.^[3] He had consistently emphasized these themes during the transition period.^[5] The ceremony occurred directly before a regular city council meeting to highlight collaborative local government.^[4]

Throughout his tenure Matt Miller has used annual state of the city addresses to report on municipal financial performance and ongoing initiatives.^[5] In the 2021 address he stated that the city’s economy had thrived in 2020 despite the pandemic with income tax revenue exceeding projections by a couple hundred thousand dollars sales tax setting a new record and property tax collections rising from 53 million dollars in 2019 to 61 million dollars in 2020.^[6][5]

Similar reporting continued in later years including a 2023 address that highlighted a 6 percent increase in property tax revenue along with 22 percent growth in sales tax and 27 percent growth in income tax over the preceding two years.^[5] The 2024 state of the city address delivered on January 26 at Ashland High School’s Archer Auditorium continued this pattern by noting an additional 2.5 percent rise in income tax collections for 2023 that added roughly half a million dollars more than the prior year along with 4 percent growth in property tax collections reaching nearly 70 million dollars.^[4][5]

Miller described these figures as evidence of a strengthening local economy that supported broader community goals of making Ashland safe affordable and enjoyable for residents.^[4] He stressed the role of local government as the heart of the community working alongside schools businesses and nonprofits.^[4]

Miller’s administration has placed strong emphasis on maintaining and upgrading city infrastructure particularly the street network.^[4] In the first six years after he took office the city resurfaced more than 200 of its total 315 streets using techniques intended to extend the life of the pavement.^[4] Major projects completed or planned during this period have included the Claremont Avenue resurfacing that incorporated waterline replacement at a net city cost of about 5.5 million dollars after grants and the repair of a sinkhole on East Main Street that involved installing a new culvert.^[4]

Additional road work announced for 2024 and beyond has covered segments of Sandusky Street and portions of US Route 42 with estimated costs around 4.5 million dollars for one section where the state contributed the majority of funding.^[4] These efforts have been supported by stable municipal revenues primarily from income tax collections and have been presented as part of a broader commitment to improving quality of life in Ashland.^[4] Miller has noted that careful budget management including carryover balances has made such investments possible without major disruptions.^[4]

One of the signature initiatives under Miller has been the redevelopment of a long-vacant former manufacturing site into the Pump House District located near downtown Ashland along East 4th Street.^[7] Miller identified cleaning up the blighted area as one of his top priorities when he first took office and the city spent several years acquiring the property securing state grants and completing environmental remediation including removal of underground tanks and installation of infrastructure.^[7][3]

The project has involved selling the remaining structure on the site for a nominal amount to encourage private investment.^[8] By 2023 and 2024 plans for the district had advanced to include approximately 200 market-rate apartments in five to seven multi-story mixed-use buildings along with renovation of the historic Pump House building into a hotel with roughly 90 rooms under a major brand.^[3][8]

A revised purchase agreement with the developer was approved by city council in April 2025 after environmental studies were completed and the city allocated portions of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and a Brownfield Remediation grant to support the work.^[8] Miller has described the development as a way to create vibrant living spaces close to Main Street and to attract additional residents who would support local businesses.^[3]

Miller has also overseen broader efforts to expand housing options in Ashland with projections for nearly 1,000 new units in various forms including apartments condominiums townhouses and single-family homes across multiple sites.^[9] Specific developments discussed in 2025 updates have included projects near Smith and Baney roads as well as potential annexations along US Route 42 and other corridors with some construction expected to begin within the year.^[10]

These plans have been linked to workforce needs generated by new employment opportunities in the area.^[9] On the industrial side the city under Miller completed the purchase of additional land adjacent to the existing business park and attracted major tenants including an 80,000-square-foot Amazon delivery station on 22 acres that is projected to employ about 100 people.^[10] Miller has expressed concern about limited available industrial land for future projects and has highlighted ongoing interest from developers who now contact the city regularly.^[10]

These developments have been presented as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen the local economy and provide jobs while maintaining Ashland’s appeal as a safe community.^[5]