Is Mayor Moe Road Kill? Spirit Lake Could Pave Streets With Ex-Leaders

No one knows about the growing pains in this small town as much as the mayor.

Bill Moe is Spirit Lake’s fourth consecutive mayor to face a recall petition or resign. He’s the 14th mayor in 20 years.

“I’ve been here long enough to know there’s no mayor that’s been patted on the back,” Moe said. He ran for the position because he felt he “could help get the city back on track.”

Last month, locals balked at picking up the tab for their city’s growth. While new home lots go up for sale daily, streets are crumbling. Residents have overwhelmingly rejected paying for upgrades.

Moe, 63, ran for mayor last year saying he wanted to help the growing town, whose population has doubled to 1,600 people in the last decade. It was Moe’s twin brother who said to him: “It’s better to do something than to do nothing.”

But on election night last November, Moe knew there was trouble as soon as he won, because he beat incumbent Bob Knapp by just 32 votes.

A proposal to repave streets and allegations of misspending provoked talk of a recall. Last week, Moe’s critics turned in 200 signatures on a petition seeking to oust him from office.

“There’s a lot to this recall situation,” Moe said as he leaned back in his black chair, lit a cigarette and sighed. “… I wouldn’t let these people push me out.”

A resident for 15 years, Moe has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

The recall petition gained momentum this spring after Moe began a series of town hall meetings to propose spending $2.2 million to repave 15 miles of city streets.

The idea quickly led to name-calling, accusations and basic disrespect between residents and City Hall.

“It has gotten to the point that it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Moe said.

Interim city administrator John Austin said Moe wants to be progressive.

“All Bill’s trying to do is restore confidence in government,” Austin said.

Being mayor was so tough for Bob Street that he resigned in 1995 after just seven months on the job. He empathizes with Moe.

Any mayor in Spirit Lake would face the same problems - “no doubt about it,” Street said. “There’s an air up here in Spirit Lake … or something.”

Street said tensions exist because of residents’ perceptions of City Hall. The city wants to spend tax money on infrastructure, but no one can agree where the money should go.

New ideas quickly run afoul of some residents who have known each other for 50 years. Relationships and family lines run deep. Conflicts of interests abound, said Street, who hesitates to voice opinions about City Hall because his brother manages the public works department.

Moe said he was raised to mind his own business, but is quickly learning small-town politics. He said he works about 40 hours a week, answering the phone, encouraging residents to stop by and talk.

He’s paid $300 a month.

“I didn’t take this job for the money. I volunteered to do a job, and I can’t do the job if I’m not here,” Moe said.

If he’s ousted, Moe said he’ll merely spend more time doing what he loves to do - fishing and traveling.

He’s a soft-spoken man who watches the goings-on through the window in his office. His cowboy boots, jeans, flannel shirt and black baseball hat typify Spirit Lake’s simplicity.

Mayor Moe is also known as “the catfish king of Spirit Lake,” because he once took several kids to his favorite fishing spot at sunset. In minutes, the crew caught 30 fish.

He married his wife, Juanita, before moving to Spirit Lake in 1984. He has five children, and he cares for his 84-year-old mother at home. His family, he said, is his greatest accomplishment.

“They’re all good kids,” Moe said. “They’re grown up and leading a good, fruitful life. Everything else doesn’t amount to much.”

For a hobby, Moe earned a license to fly multiengine commercial planes. He collects stamps and train sets. He enjoys bird-watching so much that the license plate on his truck reads “Birding.”

Moe said he wants to make Spirit Lake a place for families to visit. To do that, he believes the city must tie in the lake with its city center. Both must be preserved, he said.

“This lake is our number one asset,” he said.

As for the recall effort, Moe wasn’t surprised by it. He admits to being a bit agitated, though.

And although half a year isn’t much of a milestone for most other careers, Moe said he suddenly felt he was “winning” at the job when he reached the six-month mark as mayor last month.