CRESTVIEW — Local businessman and sitting City Councilman Tom Gordon has announced his candidacy for mayor. He is the first to toss his hat in the ring for the 2015 election.
Gordon, a lifelong Crestview resident, owns Gordon Air Conditioning, a family business started by his father, and Gordon Martial Arts, a downtown business noted for frequent charitable events for local causes.
Appointed to the council upon the April 2012 resignation of Philip Berezo, Gordon rapidly gained a reputation for being a fiscal watchdog and having an aversion to expanding government reach.
“As a community, we need friendly and helpful access. We need a mayor to provide clear direction, leadership and accountability,” Gordon said.
“I’ll be able to lean on my experiences on the City Council, being a business owner, and the many, many things we’ve done to better the community.”
Gordon, the son of Brady and Edna Gordon, graduated from Crestview High School in 1989 and attended Okaloosa-Walton Community College.
He was a rookie player on Crestview’s semi-pro Thunderbirds football team until taking his seat on the City Council. He is married to Barbara Gordon. They attend Woodlawn Baptist Church, where Tom Gordon has been a member since 1972.
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Businessman, council member announces run for mayor