ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603120007
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: W-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
A former Salem School Board member, John Moore recalls that an effective way to bring government to the people is to entice residents to attend meetings.
Hold meetings at the schools and residents will come, he says.
Now, Moore would like to take City Council to the people.
"City Council meetings aren't user-friendly," Moore says.
He's proposing that council do what the School Board did when he was a member - take the meetings to the public.
"When you put it in [residents'] environment, you make it user-friendly," he says. "Salem is its citizens."
Another way Moore wants to involve residents is by having referendums on all major capital projects, including bond issues.
Whether to build a baseball stadium was the first referendum the city has had in 20 years, Moore says. But even that referendum wasn't binding.
Residents voted on a stadium that would cost $5 million. Because of a disclaimer in the referendum, City Council was able to override that estimated cost, and the stadium ended up costing $10 million.
"I'm not saying we should run the government by referenda," Moore says, but "a decision made by the citizens would almost invariably be better than a decision made by politicians."
A Salem native, Moore says he's pleased with how the city has progressed in its 28 years as an independent municipality. He was a member of the School Board when the school system became independent.
And he is proud of the services the city offers.
"The citizens love Salem," Moore says. "However, I do think the citizens think some things need to be changed."
JOHN MOORE
Age: 60
Occupation: Retired Air Force major.
Personal: Married, five children
Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha; master's degree from the University of Southern California.
Political background: First try for elective office. Served on Salem School Board for 12 years.
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