By Mike Bailey
City Manager
On Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, Bartlesville lost one of its greatest public servants, and I lost a close friend and mentor. When someone close to you passes, you find yourself trying to describe them in a few succinct words: gregarious, leader, compassionate, funny, caring. All of these describe Ed, but they also all fall short of capturing, as he was so fond of saying, “the measure of the man.”
So what was the measure of Ed Gordon? For me, it started a few years before I joined the City of Bartlesville. I had the good fortune of attending a training that was hosted by the City. The room was full of people I didn’t know, and I was seated at a large table full of City employees I’d never met. I can’t recall a single person at that table other than Ed Gordon.
That’s because on that day, and most other days, Ed was the star of the show — any show. He shined just a little brighter than the rest of us, and his self-effacing humor and charm endeared him to anyone fortunate to spend time with him. Plus, he had the ability to say things that would get the rest of us in trouble.
After that first meeting, I didn’t see Ed again until I came to work at the City, and even then, I didn’t spend much time around him until we both switched jobs. First, Ed was hired as the city manager in 2006, and later that year he promoted me to city clerk and finance director. After that, Ed and I were together often. He was a new city manager, and I was a new director. I don’t think either of us expected to be in those positions at that time.
Quickly, I came to rely on Ed’s experience and wisdom, and I’d like to believe he came to rely on me as well. We worked together as the City struggled with changing laws, changing public opinions, financial struggles, and too many crises to name. I was blessed through it all to have Ed as a mentor. He taught me more than I can reasonably put into words, but through it all, his sayings like, “It’s never wrong to do right,” and “The City has no heart except what we give it,” hinted at the measure of the man.
During Ed’s 12 years as Bartlesville’s city manager, my feelings about him changed over time. First, I came to like and respect my new boss, and eventually I came to love and admire him as one of my closest friends. During those same 12 years, our relationship changed from coworkers to friends, until eventually we felt like family. Perhaps for Ed, the measure of the man was in the quality and number of relationships that he built. As Mayor Copeland recently said, “Everyone felt they were Ed’s favorite. Of course, I knew that wasn’t true since I was the favorite.” I completely agree with the mayor, except he is wrong on one count: I was definitely the favorite! But I’m sure many others felt the same.
It is always difficult to get the true measure of a person, but for Ed, perhaps we can lean on the wisdom of others. Plato believed that, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” For Ernie Banks, it’s “in the lives he’s touched.” And for Samuel Johnson, it’s “how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
Perhaps all of these are the measure of Ed Gordon. He treated everyone with respect and dignity. He sought to make a better community for all of us. He showed compassion and love to all. He taught all of us who were close to him that our goal in our careers and lives should be to “do better.” By any of these measures, he stands as one of the greatest men I’ve ever known.