We should have a reputation system for editors.
Could be based on a few things:
1. Adding good content
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Content_persistence
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Measuring_edit_productivity
See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Editcountitis
2. Votes by other editors
Maybe an editor can gain reputation through social signalling, e.g. Thanks received (perhaps weighting this further by the age/reputation score of the accounts doing the thanking)