Riga supervisor wraps up 100 days, looks to future

When she took the reins of the town under her control, Town of Riga Supervisor Pam Moore instituted a new practice - having a community member begin the town board meetings with a prayer or reflection, followed by the pledge to the flag.

"I began a new tradition as a way of demonstrating that while there are many different interests we are all one community that needs to work together," she said. "This has produced results way beyond what I dreamed and hoped it would because that one simple gesture influences the tone of the meeting and creates a sense of connectedness."

When asked if her first 100 days were what she expected, better, worse, or simply different, Moore said, "We expected that many changes would be necessary in our administrative and financial operations, but the extent of these changes was surprising."

Because she was eager to bring together the natural, human and environmental resources in the town to create an "even better Riga," Moore said she jumped right into the fray. "The learning curve was steeper than anticipated because there were so many administrative and financial issues requiring immediate attention," she explained.

What has been the biggest challenge of your first 100 days? "Not losing sight of our many accomplishments in the face of so many financial issues -- that was the biggest challenge," she said.

Following a hard-fought political race last fall which included a primary challenge in September and a come-from-behind win in November, Moore said she has been overwhelmed by the outstanding level of interest and the support she has received from the community. "That has been the best part of the first 100 days," she said. "It was inspiring and humbling to have a standing room only crowd at the January 1 swearing in ceremony. The fact that this interest has carried over beyond the first 100 days is proof that we have an abundance of human resources. And, working together we will be able to create something far more than a typical bedroom community in Riga."

Will things get easier now that the first months are over? "Things are definitely getting easier because more and more people are becoming involved, and with more people come more ideas, more energy and more results."

"I am very proud of and very grateful to the residents for stepping up and becoming involved," she said. "Given the interest and participation shown in the first 100 days, I am even more excited about our future than I was on January 1."

May 7, 2006