Renaissance persons. Jack or Jill of all trades. Problem solvers.

In most townships, they call him or her a manager. In Elizabeth Township, they call him administrator.

By name, he goes by Loren Miller.

"I function as a manager," said Miller, who's been the administrator in Elizabeth Township for the better part of a decade. "I perform all the same roles. We're a small township, and I'm essentially the generalist of all generalists. I do a little bit of everything. There's not much I don't get my hands on. I wear many hats. I can even help plow snow when they need an extra guy."

As an administrator, Miller's the guy behind the scenes who makes everything in Elizabeth Township run smoothly. He's one of those fellows you wouldn't necessarily miss until he wasn't there.

Miller also carries the official titles of assistant secretary treasurer, open records officer and assistant zoning officer. In addition, he undertakes responsibilities for the day-to-day operations in Elizabeth Township, human resources, accounting, technology, history, community relations and media relations.

"I am the forward-facing part of the township," said Miller. "I'm literally the eyes and face of the township. When people come in here, they deal with me directly. I'm able to get things done here because there aren't a lot of layers to work through. We can't get every answer right, but we can get the right answers. I love my job a lot. I'm made for it, and it's made for me."

One of Miller's most important roles as administrator is to serve, advise and act as the liaison for the elected three-member board of supervisors. The board of supervisors meet at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month inside the recently renovated township building, 423 Southview Drive, Lititz.

"I build the agendas for all of the meetings," said Miller, a resident of Brickerville. "People voice their concerns through me. There's a lot of everyday give and take with me and the board. Everything kind of flows through me."

"I have great connections with the supervisors," Miller added. "It's a nice mix, and they bring good perspectives to the table. We're all residents here. We all have the good of the township at heart."

Miller's work is supported by a part-time administrative assistant, a road superintendent and a road laborer.

"We don't offer municipal services, so we've kept large-scale development at bay," said Miller. "But we have a lot of traffic passing through the township. We've worked very hard to preserve farmland."

"It's a very livable area," continued Miller. "We have a lot of people asking if there are lots available in Elizabeth Township because people love Elizabeth Township."

Bordered by Heidelberg Township to the north, Penn Township to the west, Warwick Township to the south, West Cocalico Township to the northeast and Clay Township to the east, Elizabeth Township is 32 square miles in area. Nearly 4,000 residents call Elizabeth Township home.

The township maintains 29 miles of roads.

"We are a small, quiet rural township close to a lot of towns," said Miller. "We have a great ability here to understand Lancaster County and central Pennsylvania history. We have a lot of natural resources for recreation. We have a lot of state game lands here."

In 1757, the township was spun off Warwick Township and was officially incorporated as Elizabeth Township. A hundred years later, Clay Township was spun off Elizabeth Township.

"Lancaster County is an old county," said Miller. "We share a lot of the same values and history with Lancaster County. We still live our lives day to day. We work hard to maintain that quieter approach to life. But we don't isolate ourselves. We work hard to maintain our sense of local community. That's why my wife and I moved here."

Miller was born and raised in Rapho Township. He attended Lock Haven University and Albright College.

"Elizabeth Township is a great place to raise a family," said Miller. "There are good values here. But there are also opportunities to grow outside of yourself. It's a place where those things meet."

For additional information, go to https://elizabethtownship.net.