Health dept. honors Miller-Moore

SANDUSKY — Sept. 29 was a special day for Linda Miller-Moore, the president of the Erie County Health Board. Health officials opened last Tuesday's board meeting by recognizing Miller-Moore's leadership of 30 years on the board. Board members and guests trooped outside to watch a "Linda Miller-Moore Way" sign being unveiled for a side street on the main health department campus in Sandusky by Pete Schade, the county health commissioner. Miller-Moore spoke briefly and explained that she joined the board after seeing an article in the Register about the board seeking new members. Back inside the building, Miller-Moore was presented with a plaque, a proclamation from Sandusky's government and a board resolution honoring her work on the board. Everyone then ate a slice of the Cassata cake brought to the meeting to celebrate her milestone. Miller-Moore then presided over the meeting, as she has for almost three decades. New ventures the health department established during her service on the board include the Erie County Community Health Center, Kaptur Recovery & Treatment Services and Compass Point Adult Day Center. "Linda's background as an educator gives her a deep, compassionate understanding of our community's needs," Schade said. "She has guided this board with unwavering integrity, always pushing us to innovate and expand services so that no resident is left behind." Miller-Moore, 81, a Margaretta Township resident, has been on the board for 30 years and has been board president for 28 years. She was a schoolteacher who spent 32 years with Margaretta Schools, retiring in 2009. She was mostly a high school English teacher. At one point or another, she taught all grades, one through 12. Many health department employees are her former students. She called Joe Palmucci, senior chief administrator for the health department, a "model student." Health board members represent various government organizations and areas of the county and are paid $80 per meeting, a payment set by Ohio law. Miller-Moore said she plans to stay on the board for awhile. Aside from serving on the board, Miller-Moore has been active in the community in other ways. She was director of Care & Share of Erie County for seven years, resigning when the pandemic hit, forcing the charity to temporarily close. Active in Democratic Party affairs, she once ran for county commissioner. Miller-Moore was born in Tiffin, but her family moved to Margaretta Township in the seventh grade when her father got a job at the Ford plant.