But the apology was not enough for some council members, and Vice Mayor Tim Risch wanted Miller to know this.

Miller's behavior was "unbecoming" of the mayor of the city of Sunnyvale, Risch wrote in a letter of reprimand to Miller.

The letter said that Miller offended, harassed and acted rudely to one or more city council colleagues, the city manager and other city staff. "You raised your voice and repeatedly failed to follow the directions of the meeting chair when requested," Risch wrote.

Risch also wrote that Miller ordered

two city staff members out of the room without proper authority. However, according to Miller, the two staff members were legally not allowed to be in the room at the time.

After the June 10th meeting, Miller sent an email of apology to some of the people involved, including Risch and council member Jack Walker, who was also present at the closed session.

Walker said he wanted something more to be done. "I felt that action needed to be taken. No council member should be able to do that. I feel that at the time the council let her behavior slide," Walker said.

The vice mayor wrote the letter at the request of Walker and also to ensure that Miller would not repeat such behavior, Risch said.

The letter is not about minor bickering at city council meetings, Risch said. He said he wrote the letter in direct response to the June 10th incident and alluded to no other disagreements with the mayor.

"Some people say the letter was divisive. I think it's far more divisive to let a council member treat staff like personal servants. It would seem like we're condoning such behavior," said Walker.

But Miller said she suspects that the letter was written to make her look bad. "I don't think my actions justify any of this. I told the vice mayor I am going to be supporting Melinda Hamilton. I think that is the reason for this attack on me," said Miller.

Hamilton says she is planning to run against Risch in the November 2003 election for seat 7.

Miller also said she heard from at least one person that Walker may have made derogatory comments about her regarding this issue, which violates the city council's code of conduct.

"I think we've all made mistakes in this situation, but I'm not going after anyone else," said Miller.

Six months ago, at the request of Miller, the city council approved the hiring of a consultant to enhance cooperation between the mayor, council members and staff and to align their efforts to serve the community. However, the consultant's work was put on hold due to the budget crisis.