West Jordan » Pledging to practice law, not politics, Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller announced Friday that she will seek a second term as the county's top prosecutor.

Standing inside the county Children's Justice Center, the Republican D.A. chronicled her office's efforts to crack down on domestic-violence offenders, drunken drivers and perpetrators of elder abuse.

"I promised the voters of this county that I would make a difference," she said. "And I have made that difference."

Miller's announcement came amid a who's who of public-safety figures that included Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman. Ed Smart, father of the high-profile kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart, also added his endorsement.

The announcement came with a hint of controversy -- not because of anything Miller said, but because of where she said it.

The D.A. declared her candidacy at the Children's Justice Center, which is operated by government but receives some funding through a nonprofit. Federal law bars nonprofits from participating in activities to support or oppose political candidates.

Political rival and Salt Lake City Prosecutor Sim Gill called Miller's choice of venue "unethical" and said it is one more reason why voters need to restore "honesty" and "integrity" to the office.

"She just introduced politics at a nonprofit, nonpartisan entity," he said. "She just put in jeopardy its nonprofit status for political purposes."

Miller's campaign insisted it received permission to use the facility and that the venue was appropriate.

"We find it unfortunate that Mr. Gill would not focus on the critical issues facing Salt Lake County," responded D.A. spokesman Mark Biljanic.

During her announcement, Miller pointed to accomplishments such as creating a special unit for drunken-driver prosecutions, forming a domestic-violence team that now boasts a 70 percent conviction rate and launching an elder-abuse program. She also is pursuing a broader reform of the criminal-justice community that would lead to the faster adjudication of crimes.

"The citizens of Salt Lake County are safer today, no doubt, because of District Attorney Lohra Miller," Shurtleff said.

But can Miller overcome some negative headlines during her first term, including her firing of veteran prosecutor Kent Morgan (later reinstated) and her hiring of three people from her husband's law firm.

Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, thinks so.

"Perhaps the first factor in her favor is that her position is not as high profile as many others," he said. "The fact that she is an incumbent and that people may not have been focusing on the headlines may give her more freedom to run the campaign she wants."