BELLE — Linda Moore was elected Neighborhood Watch Coordinator against Terry Connors during an informal vote Monday night at a Neighborhood Watch organizational meeting.

Mayor Josh Seaver addressed the group met Jan. 6 at Belle City Hall instead of the Belle-Bland Community Center.

“We will elect a coordinator and second-in-command. Then block captains and whoever is below them,” Seaver said. “Then when people see something, they will just pass it through the chain of command.”

Both Moore and Connors were given an opportunity to address the 15 people who attended the meeting and share the visions of the future of the program. Connors invited Moore to go first.

“My name is Linda Moore, and I am from Belle. I recently moved back,” Moore began. “My main reason for running for coordinator’s position is because we are experiencing more crime and I feel like this position will help us to figure out what is going on.”

She said the group needs a coordinator and she felt that her background in communications and running her own business has groomed her to lead a group like this.

“I want this position to be about unifying the information,” she said. So whenever something happens, you’ve got some place to go, such as a Facebook page or a newsletter.”

Moore added that since not everyone has social media, she could come up with a mailing list to get the word out, adding that the information that is shared in town right now seems fragmented. Where before, news came from newspapers, there is social media and other forms of news outlets, so much so that it is hard to know what is honestly going on in Belle.

“I would like to take over that position and share what is going on,” she said. “In addition to that, I would also be in charge of block captains, fundraisers and getting more people involved.”

She added that making the city safer and informing citizens of the laws are also some of her primary goals.

“There are some neighborhoods that already have neighborhood watches,” she added. “But there are new people in town. Get to know you neighbors.”

Moore received nine votes from the 15 people who were present and took the coordinator position immediately.

As only two people were interested in the coordinator position, Connors became assistant coordinator with one vote.

“I am Terry Connors and I have over 24 years of service in both the Marine Corps and Army,” Connors said. “I have been in combat in both Vietnam and Korea. I have been a county deputy sheriff and a small town police officer.”

He said he was also a marshal for a few days in a small town in Kentucky.

“That’s basically it,” Connors said. “I have a security background, and I know how important it is.”

He said he liked the idea of the assistant coordinator and thought he would work well with Moore.

Connors is new to Belle, having recently purchased the old Belle Motel, that changed Dec. 27 to Connors Country Lodge in Belle. He said he has already worked with his neighbors to decrease the amount of trespassers in the area.“Who is more aware of your surroundings than you? What is around your house?” he asked the group. “You know who is leaving their houses at 6:30 or 7 in the morning. You know we don’t have police service before 7:30 a.m.”

Connors said it was up to the community to assist the police in taking back the town.

“Like that church shooting a couple of weeks ago, it only takes six seconds for something to happen,” Connors said.

Maries County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott John arrived after the election and offered to help at the next meeting.

“The block captain and other people report to the coordinator,” John said. “If someone sees something unusual, people can text descriptions of the person or vehicle to the coordinator. Then if someone’s house was broke into during the day, we have something to go on.”

Moore and Connors determined that future Neighborhood Watch meetings would be held at the Belle City Hall building at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of the month.