McMillin leaves post as county controller
Butler County officials past and present said farewell Friday to retiring county controller Jack McMillin.
McMillin, 61, of Zelienople has acted as the elected, budgetary watchdog for this county since 1994. His successor, Ben Holland of Connoquenessing Township, will be sworn in Monday.
“I think that being controller is the toughest row office in the county,” said John Cranmer.
And Cranmer should know since he preceded McMillin in the job, serving two decades as controller and hiring McMillin four years before his own retirement in 1994. McMillin won the controller's job in an election that same year.
“I knew from day one I had the right man for the job,” Cranmer said during McMillin's retirement party in the Butler County Government Center. “This job isn't easy. There's times you have to say 'no' to people who might be your friends.”
Some of the officials McMillin butted financial heads with over the years stopped in Friday to shake his hand and share anecdotes, cookies and punch.
“To be a county controller is a difficult position. You're not supposed to be liked ... you are like Big Brother ... If you're not well liked it means you are doing a good job,” said Sandy Massey, an internal auditor who has worked in McMillin's office for 15 years.
Still, Massey and others said McMillin won her over with his sense of humor, honesty and fairness.
“He is a great guy with a multitude of knowledge,” she said. “Over the years, I've gained a friend.”
McMillin said he plans to “pop his feet up for a month or two” before beginning a rigorous campaign of fishing, hunting, reading and visiting his daughter.
Although he said he's looking forward to retirement, he hinted that future public service hasn't been completely ruled out of his playbook.
“There's no better training for a higher office than serving as county controller,” McMillin said. “The future will take care of itself.”
