Retired city manager remembered for dedicated public service
By Kelli Williams
City of Bartlesville
But he who is the greatest among you will be your servant.
— Matthew 23:11
Retired City Manager Ed Gordon passed away last week, leaving behind an indelible footprint on the city and the people he loved and diligently served for nearly 30 years.
Gordon, who served as city manager from 2006 until his retirement in 2018, was a beloved community leader who dedicated his life to public service. Mayor Dale Copeland, who had known Gordon for nearly 50 years, called his death “a terrific loss,” on both a personal and community level.
“Over a span of decades he had served in so many ways — from starting and pastoring churches, wiring buildings as an able electrician, knowing, it seemed, where every single manhole cover in Bartlesville connected, and as perhaps one of the best city managers in the state,” Copeland said. “He was, first and foremost, a follower of Christ, and it guided everything he said and did. We will not be able to fill those shoes and must now join together to fill the gaps he left behind.”
A Texas native with strong Bartlesville ties, Gordon officially relocated to Bartlesville with his family as a teenager.
“My dad was a design engineer for Phillips, and they moved him around,” Gordon said in a 2018 interview. “I spent the most time right here in Bartlesville. My sister was born here and my mom and dad met and married here,”
He graduated from College High School in 1966 — the school’s “largest graduating class ever,” he liked to say — and married the love of his life, Janie Sue Lawrence, in 1970, a few months shy of leaving for basic training with the U.S. Army.
After an honorable discharge in 1975, the young couple returned to Bartlesville, where Gordon earned a bachelor of arts degree in religious education from Bartlesville Wesleyan College. They then moved to Memphis, Tenn., so he could attend graduate school at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.
Following graduate school and a seven-year stint in Wright, Wyo., where Gordon got his first taste of public service by working as manager of the Wright Water & Sewer District, the couple moved back to Bartlesville in 1984. Gordon operated Brown & Gordon Electric until 1986 and worked as general manager of Freedom Rent-a-Car and at Locke Supply before beginning his career with the City of Bartlesville in 1991.
Initially hired as a supervisor with what was then the Sanitary Sewer Department, Gordon was promoted to Public Works director in 2000 and was named city manager in 2006. He served in that capacity until his retirement in July 2018.
“Voting to hire Ed Gordon as our city manager was the most significant and change-making vote I cast in my eight years on the City Council,” says Oklahoma Sen. Julie Daniels, who represented Ward 1 on the City Council and was mayor at the time Gordon was promoted. “He truly was the right man at the right time in our city’s history to serve the council and residents as city manager. I came to call him my ‘sainted city manager’ because every issue — large or small — that crossed his desk was resolved for the better for our community.”
In his time as city manager, Gordon saw the city through good times and hardships alike, putting into place — with the support of the City Council — policies and programs that helped secure the City’s financial status well beyond his tenure, and that will benefit Bartlesville residents far into the future.
For instance, it was on Gordon’s watch that enterprise operations, such as water, wastewater and solid waste services, were restructured to become self-supporting, allowing much-needed sales tax revenue to flow toward the operations side of the public’s business, which includes police, fire, parks and streets. Other accomplishments include joining forces with Washington County to combine detention services, which eliminated the need for a municipal jail, implementing automated truck service for Solid Waste Department customers, greatly reducing expenses and work-related injuries. He also consolidated several City departments and, through attrition, whittled the number of department directors from 21 to 11.
With a penchant for efficiency and ever-mindful of his responsibility to expend taxpayer funds wisely, Gordon’s leadership was predicated on trust and transparency, both with City staff and the public he served.
“From polycarts to roundabouts, from heart wrenching personnel decisions to saving taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars for wastewater and water supply, Ed was a servant leader who made sound decisions,” Daniels said. “He often said if he could have a conversation with each Bartian, he could convince them to share his vision and appreciate their City government. His open door policy was his way of trying to do just that.”
Known for his unique sense of humor, mastery of story telling and propensity for mischief, Gordon endeared himself to nearly all who knew him, including coworkers and City staff.
“Ed Gordon was truly a great leader for our city and the best mentor that any of us fortunate enough to have served under him could have asked for,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “He loved Bartlesville and every person in it, and he considered it an honor and a privilege to be in their service. He was a stickler for detail, and while he challenged us daily to do our very best, he made sure we knew that he believed in us. Following Ed as city manager was both impossible and ideal, because he was a larger than life leader who could never be replaced, and he left the office having made our City better in every way.”
“Working for Ed Gordon was an adventure,” said Executive Administrative Assistant Elaine Banes, who served as Gordon’s assistant. “Each day brought new stories, new experiences, new vocabulary words, new music, and laughter. I learned quickly that the word ‘can’t’ was unacceptable, and he had little patience for it. He was happy, caring, smart, professional, discerning, grace-filled, and an ornery prankster. One of a kind. It was an honor to work with him, to know him, to learn from him, and a privilege to count him and Janie as friends. This little story sums it up for me: My twin grandsons spent about an hour one day in his company as he shared a bit of relationship counseling with them as they were both on the cusp of engagement. When he left, I told them how proud I was of them for listening to him with such respect. One of my young men looked at me and said, ‘Grandma, the way I see it, when a wise man speaks, you listen.’ Ed was a wise man, and when he talked, we listened.”
“Ed Gordon was a great Christian, husband, father, leader and patriot,” said retired City Attorney Jerry Maddux. “I worked with Ed for many years and he always looked out for the City and its employees. Ed was a patriot who loved America. He studied World War II and would text me key words on the appropriate dates such as ‘Overlord,’ ‘Trinity,’ and ‘Band of Brothers.’ I know he is in Heaven with his wife, but he will be greatly missed on Earth.”
“Ed was one of a kind,” said former Bartlesville Mayor Tom Gorman. “He was unassuming, caring, self deprecating, a servant leader and educated, and he brought parity to all situations. He would disagree with you and make you feel good about it. These were all traits that suited him well as a preacher and as the city manager. He was knowledgeable and involved in many things that could and did affect the city and our state. He made efforts to improve these ‘things’ for the betterment of all peoples’ lives. I’m sure one of his Latin sayings was ‘More is Less.’ Ed was a wonderful person to work with and to be around, working or not. He cared about all individuals and their well being. He will truly be missed.”
“Ed was a mentor and a friend,” said Daniels. “If Heaven needs a city manager, the best candidate for the job just moved there.”
During the later months of his City career, Gordon battled health issues that ultimately led to his retirement in 2018, but his mark on local and state government is indelibly stamped, thanks to his mentorship, wise counsel and leadership over the years.
“Ed had a peculiar and valuable ability to recognize, develop and implant people with leadership abilities into paths benefiting them and the community as a whole,” Copeland said. “His departure from the city manager role due to illness never created a problem in City operations as he had already built a leadership team able to seamlessly step into place and carry forward the performance of all the myriad aspects of the City of Bartlesville. Our community, county and state are better as a result of his involvement spanning several decades. State and federal officials knew and respected him and heeded his sage advice.”
Following his retirement from the City, Gordon remained active in the community and continued serving as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, preaching every week including the one before his death on Dec. 28.
But those who knew him well understood where he most wanted to be, and that was with his beloved wife Janie, who passed away in April 2019 after a brief illness.
“Losing his wife, Janie, quite visibly impacted his zest and enthusiasm and he never recovered from the loss,” said Copeland. “She was his best friend, confidant and social director. Together they established churches in Wyoming, raised two outstanding sons and enjoyed time with their grandchildren and many friends. Ed longed to be reunited with his Janie Sue and to see his Lord face to face, and perhaps track down the Apostle Paul with a few questions about Romans, arguably his favorite Bible book.
“Ultimately, I appreciate the time we had Ed and Janie with us, but that time has ended now. We will miss them, but this, too, is a part of life, and I think we’ll understand in God’s good time. Our community is a better place because of their time and investment in it.”
Gordon was preceded in death by his wife Janie and their granddaughter, Grace. He is survived by his sister Linda Barnes and her family, of Arkansas, sons Caleb and his wife Jamie, and David and his wife Katie, and grandchildren Hannah, Gabe, Austin, Noah, Carter and Tucker, all of Bartlesville. Services were held earlier this week.