With an overwhelming message delivered by voters Tuesday night, newly elected Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell has a bit of a mandate in his back pocket.

As Grennell told supporters Tuesday night after his resounding, landslide victory the voters aren’t just tired of the last four years; they’re tired of the last 20 years.

We hope Grennell takes that mandate and makes a fundamental change in city government.

We’ve long pressed the city’s leadership on key goals in the years ahead.

First and foremost, Natchez must get its financial house in order. For far too long Natchez residents have put up with subpar financial responsibility from its elected leadership. Getting the finances in order is paramount before anything else gets done.

Next the city’s focus needs to be on improving the quality of life for residents. We need to be investing in infrastructure needs across the city. Roads, parks, recreation facilities and sidewalks need to be addressed.

We also urge Grennell to help move forward something that simply makes sense on so many levels — work with Adams County’s government leaders to find ways to begin consolidating resources.

We wish Grennell the best as he takes over the reigns of the city this summer, and we urge him to stay focused on the mandate for change the people have given him and turn that public desire into action.