St. Tammany News

Covington City Council Clerk Lynne Moore is as much a part of Covington as Bogue Falaya Park, The Twig House or Lee Lane.

A staple in City Hall, Moore has helped hundreds find their way through the maze of bureaucracy when they needed to. She has also "broken in" numerous city council, mayors and other city workers. Now, she is retiring from city service to manage the Folsom Library.

Frances Dunn, Trey Blackall, Clarence Romage, Marty Benoit, Mark Sacco, Lynne Moore, Lee Alexius and Matt Faust at Moore's last Covington city council meeting. Moore was presented a plaque of appreciation by the council. (Staff photo by Debbie Glover)

Moore first worked with the city in 1977 doing sales taxes and water bills.

After the new charter in 1979, she was appointed the first clerk for the new City Council. She left in 1983 and worked for the St. Tammany Parish School Board, the District Attorney's civil office, and the library. She returned to the city in 1993.

She always felt Covington was home, even though she did not live within the city limits. Her children went to school here, and her husband work for BellSouth in Covington until his death on the job in 1993.

One of her best memories was how everyone rallied around her when her husband died. Covington is just "so Southern," said Moore. She said it's full of characters.

She served three mayors' administrations. At first, Covington was a sleepy little town under Mayor Ernest Cooper. Then Mayor Keith Villere brought it into the real world.

She said he was big into beautification, and a lot of things changed when he was mayor. The hospital was going to leave, the new courthouse construction began, a new jail, and the tornado that struck Covington in November 1997.

Mayor Candace Watkins has had Katrina and its aftermath - the boom of the Northshore, more people, more traffic and the continuous changes.

This City Council has had to attend training sessions for the first time. Moore said there is a learning curve of about six months until the City Council begins to click. Each councilman brings something different to add to the table, said Moore.

"Once they settle in, everyone finds where they fit. That's when the work really starts," said Moore.

In addition to her work, Moore is a genealogy buff and enjoys doing family research. She is also a Senior Olympics participator in volleyball. She has played numerous national Senior Olympics tournaments and enjoys the camaraderie, the friendships she has formed.

"We went to the Huntsmen Senior Games in St. George, Utah, and afterward, we all went to the Grand Canyon," said Moore. "We have fun. There are teams across the country that actually have a draft for their team; they take it very seriously. But we just like to have fun," said Moore.

She plans to continue with senior volleyball. Next year, they hope to qualify for the national Senior Olympics in San Francisco.

"Really, I love Covington the way it is, but everything has to change. Change can be good. What's really important is how you let it change, control the change," said Moore.

And she is controlling the changes in her life.