Leader Editorial: It’s Gordon’s chance to show what he can do

David Gordon, a man with seven years under his belt as a member of the Burbank City Council, was this week selected by his colleagues to serve the coming year as vice mayor. And, unless his peers lose faith in his leadership abilities within the coming 12 months, it is highly likely they will elevate him to the position of mayor in the spring of 2014.

A casual observer might wonder what took so long for Gordon to achieve this position, as it is far more common for city councils to take turns and rotate people into the largely ceremonial positions. The simple answer is that a majority of the council, as it was formerly constituted, lacked confidence that he was the right person to one day wield the gavel as mayor. He’s known for standing alone on issues, which doesn’t always engender good feelings among those who are trying to reach a consensus.

But the voters spoke loudly last month by giving Gordon the most votes in the general election. Those 5,430 residents who are satisfied with Gordon’s work on the council thus far and are happy to see him reseated have been heard by his colleagues. This week’s decision to move him into the vice mayor seat, it should be noted, was unanimous. The tide has turned and Gordon has been anointed.

Fair is fair, and we think Gordon deserves this opportunity to demonstrate his ability to build coalitions and continue moving the city forward in a positive manner.