Joel Gambord resigns from Monte Sereno City Council
Decision was based on plans to move
By Nathan R. Huff
The always outspoken Joel Gambord announced his resignation from the Monte Sereno City Council on March 21, saying he no longer felt he should serve the city, since he plans to move away in the near future.
Gambord's resignation, effective immediately, comes months before the expiration of his first term. It will be up to the four other council members to appoint Gambord's successor, who will serve the remainder of his term.
"I'm going to miss Monte Sereno very much," Gambord later said. "I've spent 32 years here; it's been a family home, and we've put a lot of ourselves into it."
Gambord's tenure, as a councilman, has been marked by his frequent clashes with Mayor Suzanne Jackson and councilman Jack Lucas. Gambord and fellow councilman Gordon Knight, actively and unsuccessfully, campaigned against Lucas' and Jackson's reelection bids in 1998. Since then, Gambord and Knight have both been passed over for the mayor's position, in what have often been heated and bitter council debates.
Gambord was gracious in his letter of resignation, stressing his positive working experiences with town staff and councilman Knight. "I hate to leave him," Gambord told the Weekly Times. "Gordon has been a newfound, wonderful friend."
Jackson was equally kind, issuing a statement complimenting Gambord on the depth and architectural expertise he brought to the council, and saying, "he will be sorely missed."
Knight said he was sorry to see Gambord go. "He was, in my opinion, one of the prime movers," Knight said. "He breathed life into the council." Knight complimented Gambord on his leading role in restructuring town staff, overhauling city ordinances and upgrading City Hall.
Ultimately, the City Council will select a replacement to finish Gambord's term. Gambord said his only hope is that they do so with common sense. "In the past," he said, "councils have normally gone to whoever last ran and got the most votes, and that would be the right thing to do."
Gambord will be moving to either Carmel or Pebble Beach, and is fairly sure he won't get involved in either city's government. "Never again, never again, never again," Gambord said.
He likened his experience on Monte Sereno's City Council to his military service in the Korean War, saying: "I'd never do it again, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world."
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
