Michigan's Miller, U.S. House's only female committee chair, to retire

[March 06, 2015]  (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Candice Miller, a Michigan Republican who is the only female committee chair in the U.S. House, announced on Thursday she would not seek re-election.

Miller, who chairs the committee on House Administration, is a former Michigan secretary of State. She was first elected to Congress in 2002, and said she will not run for office again in 2016.

"This is the community that I love, that I call home, and at the conclusion of my current term in office, I will be coming home," said Miller, 60, in a video posted on Facebook. She called serving her suburban Detroit district "the greatest privilege."

She did not say why she was retiring, other than to say she would "freely pass the baton." Her committee oversees elections and day-to-day operations of the House.

Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, said he has long respected her expertise and leadership on national defense matters and her efforts to protect the environment, especially the Great Lakes.

"I thank her for her devoted service and wish her and her husband, Don, the best for what will be next in their lives," Snyder said in a statement.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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