In a three-way race for mayor in which the choices were hardly ideal, the voters have spoken in favor of a fresh start.

Make no mistake, Democrat Michael Quill's narrow victory over incumbent Republican Timothy Lattimore did not come about because of any bold new ideas or vision offered by the winner. It was a result of voters' desire to see city hall and the Auburn City Council move past a regrettable era of dysfunction, symbolized by that 2004 physical altercation between Lattimore and David Dempsey, the Independence Party mayoral candidate who finished a distant third.

So with that in mind, we urge Quill to keep his victory in perspective and understand that if he wants to stay on this job for more than one term, he must be a pro-active leader. It won't be enough just to show up and stay out of fistfights.

The city cannot afford to have anyone on council, let alone the mayor, who is not ready to think and work hard on ideas to help Auburn move forward.

Quill has said he wants to reinstate the human rights director position cut from the city budget, and that is a good idea. But he must resist the temptation to undo every decision and personnel move orchestrated by his predecessor. The city has long needed to cut administrative costs in order to stabilize its finances. That mission should continue.

In many ways, we urge Quill to demonstrate Lattimore's big-idea thinking. Lattimore's green technology agenda actually has some momentum, and plenty of potential. Quill should carry that vision forward. And while Quill often said during the campaign that a mayor should let the economic development professionals in the city do the legwork, he must quickly realize that a mayor can play a huge role in selling the city.

The new mayor also must be prepared for tough negotiations with the city's employee unions, especially in the fire department of which he was a loyal member for more than three decades.

Auburn taxpayers must be foremost on his mind as new contracts are hammered out.

Auburn's voters have elected a decent person, who cares about the city, to be the next mayor. Now it's up to him to show that he can also be a dynamic leader who gets results.