Moore plans run for Cape's Ward 2

Stafford Moore Jr. has noticed substantial advances in Ward 2 in the past eight years. He says he wants to help keep the momentum going.

Moore and five other candidates will appear on Feb. 8 primary ballots in the race to represent the City of Cape Girardeau's second ward. Marvin McBride, Tameka Randle, Steve Watkins, Micheal "Crank" Curry, Sommer McCauley and Moore will vie for the Ward 2 seat.

Moore, 42, is a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau. He's the son of current Ward 2 representative Shelly Moore, who is ineligible to run because of term limits.

In the past eight years, Moore said he's felt the collective voice of Ward 2 citizens grow louder. A restroom in Indian Park was installed as a result. Collaborations with People Organized to Revitalize Community Healing, also known as the PORCH Initiative, sparked community engagement, he said.

"I believe our community is waking up, becoming engaged," Moore said. "I think you can see that in the amount of candidates running. We all just want to see that [engagement] continue."

Elevating Ward 2

Moore said he has lived in Ward 2 his whole life. He recalled several businesses that once thrived in the southern part of the ward.

"I remember the days when you could get your car fixed and take advantage of all types of stuff in our community," Moore said. He mentioned restaurants and businesses such as a hardware store and a pharmacy that have closed.

Many mom-and-pop stores in south Cape Girardeau closed as competition in other parts of the city grew too steep, according to Moore.

"[The city] developed more in more frequented areas," he said. "Our [businesses] might not have been frequented as much to keep up with the progress of the city."

If elected, Moore said he'd aim to bring certain areas of Ward 2 up to the same standards as the rest of the city.

"If you go to any other ward, you can find restaurants and businesses -- you don't have to go far away to engage with those things," Moore said. He cited how much life the Walmart Neighborhood Market off Independence Street brought to its surrounding area after the business opened in 2015.

"I want our voices to continue being heard and then also address some of the bad raps of the community as well. ... To bring the city back into the bigger picture of the city at-large," Moore said.

Background

This is Moore's first attempt to hold public office.

He has been a pastor at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau for nine years.

Moore graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School in 1997. He received two years of education from Southeast Missouri State University.