Cleveland, Tenn. ? A state lawmaker is warning business owners not to advertise in a weekly newspaper that reported he is dating a woman while waiting for his divorce to come through.

Republican Sen. Jeff Miller, who has represented Cleveland, a town of about 38,000 people 20 miles from Chattanooga, for 11 years, sent the warning in a letter Dec. 13.

Some business owners said they resented the threatening tone of the letter, but Miller said he was trying to call attention to what he considers unfair treatment from the free Bradley News Weekly.

In the letter, Miller wrote: “Myself and many others are going to be watching in the next several weeks to identify and remember those in this community that wish to subsidize the destructive nature of this type of publication in our community.”

In an interview, Miller did not dispute the newspaper’s report about his girlfriend, but he said he and his wife were working toward a divorce settlement and his “personal life should be left just that.”

The newspaper said Miller’s personal life is fair game because the lawmaker had a “family values” platform.