Moore was elected as an Independent Alderman for the Redfern Ward of the South Sydney Municipal Council at the 20 September 1980 election. Moore was one of three independents elected to the Council that formed a de facto opposition to the 9-member Labor caucus and Mayor Hartup who controlled the council and generally made most decisions in closed caucus meetings prior to Council meetings. However, in December 1981, the New South Wales Government amalgamated the South Sydney Council with the City of Sydney, and Moore became a Redfern Ward Alderman of the newly formed Sydney City Council from 1 January 1982. Moore developed a visible profile in the community, campaigning on a variety of issues both in her position as alderman and in the broader community, particularly in her home suburb of Redfern. Moore was interested in the environment, conservation, and heritage preservation, being involved in the unsuccessful campaign to save the 1936 Rural Bank Building in Martin Place and describing the ALP Lord Mayor, Doug Sutherland, as the "Judas of Martin Place" for his role in approving its demolition in 1982.