A 1990 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article scrutinized then-Hillsdale Mayor Dorothy “Mama” Moore for her political dominion as mayor, president of the Wellston Board of Education and a Normandy Township Democratic committeewoman — all at the same time.
“Dorothy Moore is through!” one political commentator quoted in the article declared.
That critic was wrong.
Moore, who had been mayor of Hillsdale for 15 years at the time, would hold the job for another 36 years, interrupted only by a one-year election defeat in the 1990s.
Moore died Saturday. Her cause of death was not available Wednesday.
“She believed in shared leadership, that the only way you can have true involvement is to be a part of the system,” former St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley told the Post-Dispatch, adding, “She made sure that people in the Normandy Township got together and made things happen.”
Moore was loved and loathed — praised for protecting and serving her constituents, but criticized for also making “things happen” for herself and her political career.
The 1990 Post-Dispatch story opened with Moore inside her store, Moore’s Food Shop, conducting business much the way she conducted politics — in her own unique way.
“She locks the door, flips over the closed sign and chases away customers whenever she wants to be alone,” the article read.
The story was filled with people who believed Moore had been in office too long, saying she was more interested in “fortifying her own political dominion rather than building up her community.”
But it also quoted supporters and friends who defended her “ferociously,” calling her “a compassionate woman who gives her time and energy selflessly to public service.”
Both descriptions held some measure of truth. Moore was a tough power player who earned the respect, loyal support and love of her community.
“Everything she did was good. It went towards the community,” Hillsdale resident Darnell Cline said. “It wasn’t selfish. … She had a lot of people around, taking them from nothing to not needing anything.”
Legendary Fox 2 investigative reporter Elliott Davis described his fierce battles with the former mayor and acknowledged she helped put the station’s iconic “You Paid For It” segment on the map.
“Many times I had said, I should send Dorothy Moore a card for the impact she had on my career because it really was tremendous.”
Davis said Moore ruled Hillsdale to the point that even local criminals allegedly avoided the town.
“Dorothy Moore was so tough, even the criminals didn’t want to deal with her,” Davis recalled. “So a lot of the criminals stayed out of Hillsdale, which actually made it a safer community because they didn’t want to tangle with Dorothy Moore.”
In 2018, then-St. Louis County Council Chair Rita Heard Days talked about the political influence Moore wielded from her tiny convenience store.
“At one point, if you wanted to get elected to anything in St. Louis County, you came to that little store on the corner, and you had a conversation with Dorothy Moore, because people trusted her,” Days told the Post-Dispatch.
Moore was skeptical of the media, especially the Post-Dispatch. An old sign still stands outside her corner store barring reporters from entering the premises.
During one encounter with a Post-Dispatch reporter, Moore let her feelings fly.
“I am not available for no comment,” she shouted. “I don’t have to talk to you. Get out of here and get out of here now!”
Throughout her mayoral career, Moore endured her share of media scrutiny. Davis recalled another memorable confrontation during a “You Paid For It” investigation.
“She proceeded to try to chase my cameraman. He was too fast. She couldn’t catch him. Then she took off after me, grabbed my microphone and made the comment, ‘You don’t know who you fooling with.’”
In 1993, Moore was criticized for refusing to grant an occupancy permit to Radiant Life in Christ Apostolic Church, which also wanted to provide drug counseling.
“We don’t need any more churches. We have a church (on) every block, and nobody’s going to church,” Moore bluntly told petitioners.
In 2023, Moore was riding as a passenger when the driver, Public Works Director Earl Longmeyer, accidentally struck a Fox 2 photojournalist. Although Moore was not charged, the incident brought renewed scrutiny to the city government.
Yet Moore was also honored for her decades of service.
Before entering politics, she helped teenagers get their first jobs through a program she ran with former Vashon High School basketball coach Floyd Irons. She provided Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas toys, clothing, school supplies and winter coats for children, and was known for directing police officers to take youngsters home if they were found wandering the streets.
Jerome Ellis grew up in Hillsdale but left the community more than four decades ago. When he recently returned, he found Moore still serving as the neighborhood’s faithful guardian.
“When I got back, she was still running up and down these streets, making sure everything was okay,” Ellis said. “She was a beautiful lady, and she did that until the day she passed away. Clearly in her 90s, and still out here walking through the neighborhood, checking on everybody.”
In 1987, Moore received the Humanitarian Award from the Human Development Corporation for her work as president of the Wellston Board of Education and with the summer youth employment program.
Moore’s funeral is scheduled for July 18.