Although the Village of Windham is on its third Zoning Inspector in less than two years, Sheila Moore plans to establish some continuity with the position, when she was formerly announced as the newest Zoning Inspector by Windham’s Village Council on Nov. 7.
“It feels right, it feels like this is what my life has been leading up for the next 30 years as Tim McGraw says and I am looking forward to it,” the 1981 Windham graduate told The Weekly Villager on Nov. 13. “It is already a daunting task but like I said, it is what my life has been leading to. It is amazing to be here and be a part of the community and doing something that is productive and for the future of Windham.”
According to Moore, when her predecessor abruptly announced his retirement recently at a Windham Village Planning Commission meeting, she immediately put her name forth as a replacement.
“I just said it in front of everybody, ‘Just put me down as somebody who wants this job. You need someone, you have to hire someone, put me down as someone eligible,” Moore said. “They said ‘Ok’ and they put together an interview team of three people.”
Moore has experience being a Windham public official, previously serving on the Council for several years before her family and work commitments caused her to step down.
In addition to already having served the Village in some form of civil service, Moore said that her being a resident of Windham also gives her an advantage in hitting the ground running.
“The familiarity is definitely helpful with what Council goes through behind the scenes and also when they are in public at the table,” she noted. “It did remind me how much I enjoyed that so while this is a very different position, it still has the potential to make a huge difference in town and I am praying that it is a good difference.”
Moore added that she had seen first-hand just what kind of zoning issues the Council and former Zoning Inspector had to deal with and how those issues further compounded one another, including properties becoming delapidated, cars not being parked where they were supposed to be, and several inappropriate items placed on residents’ properties.
Holding a position of civil service is something that runs in the Moore family, as her father Cecil Moore served on the Windham Village Council and held the position of Windham Mayor for several years.
Although Moore moved out of Windham for 20 years after her graduation, she was never too far from home, frequently returning to visit with her family. She moved back to her hometown in 2001 as she sought to be closer to her family and has been a Windham resident since then.
While Moore did spend time away from Windham, she always took pride in hailing from a small but tight-knight community.
Although Moore acknowledged that the position of Village Zoning Inspector is something that will take time to become acclimated to, she believes that her four decades of work experience as a court reporter/stenographer will help her learn the job quickly.
“I listen to all kinds of lawsuits, and I do a lot like any court reporter who is freelancing,” she added. “I do a lot of municipal things and I do little stints for the City of Akron Council. They are very active with a charter but much of the rules are the same.”
Moore also highlighted her experience in dealing with lawyers and solicitors as a court reporter/stenographer as another advantage that will help in dealing with several matters of zoning issues for the Village.
“It is a tough job, and you have to be present, and you have to get into it,” she noted. “You have to dig into the files and get to know people. You have to get to know people outside of Windham to help Windham and I can do that; I have done that before.”
Although Moore is only a few weeks into her new position, she is already taking the initiative by proposing new legislation to the Village Council to address several zoning issues.
“People here deserve better and even the ones that are in violation here and there, they deserve better,” she said. “They deserve their place to look better and to live better with their neighbors and they can be even more prideful once again. I am hoping to be a part of that change.”
