Ward 2 Councilwoman Shelly Moore wins re-election to second term

Cape Girardeau Ward 2 Councilwoman Shelly Moore won re-election to a second term Tuesday over challenger Scott Johnson.

It was the only contested council race on the city's election ballot.

Moore, the first black woman elected to the council, garnered more than 57 percent of the vote to nearly 42 percent for Johnson.

Moore received 152 votes to 111 votes for Johnson, pastor of Soulful Harvest Ministries on the city's south side. There were two write-in votes.

The councilwoman campaigned as an "advocate for change" in her south-side neighborhood where poverty and crime are major issues. Johnson argued he could do a better job and bring "hope and change" to the neighborhood.

"I am relieved," Moore said after winning re-election.

Moore said she believes she and her constituents "are all on the same page" in seeking to improve the area.

Moore, who was elected to the council in 2014, said she wants "to build on the economic development and infrastructure momentum that has begun in Ward 2."

After her victory, Moore said she believes the neighborhood and the city government are "moving in the right direction." But she added, "We know we have some hills to climb."

Moore said she spent much of her first term learning how city government operates. Now, she said, "I can lead better."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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