Miller was elected to City Council for the term beginning 1972. He served two terms before leaving the Council to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He replaced Phyllis Lamphere as Council President in August 1978 and served in that capacity through 1979. While on Council, Miller chaired the Planning and Urban Development Committee (1972-1973), Parks and Public Grounds Committee (1974-1977), Finance Committee (1978-1979), Labor Committee (1978-1979), and three ad hoc committees: Westlake Project (1978-1979), Campaign Financing (1978-1979), and Annexation (1979).