One of the under-appreciated aspects of our American form of democracy is the peaceful transferal of power. It’s only big news when something other than the simple passing of a gavel occurs.

Such was the case Tuesday evening when Jimbo Martinez was chosen mayor by his fellow City Council members, replacing John Fulghum.

Fulghum had been selected when former Mayor Kenneth Chesshir elected not to run again and announced he was stepping down from his position as mayor some weeks back. After what was probably the shortest term for a Beeville mayor, Fulghum gracefully stepped aside following the council’s unanimous vote to reorganize.

So congratulations are due all the way around. From newly elected Councilwoman Libby Spires and re-elected Councilman Mike Scotten to new Mayor Martinez and former Mayor Fulghum.

We should never take good government for granted and now that the council is reorganized, it’s time to move forward with the community’s best interests at heart.

There’s plenty to do. As we’ve noted here, we’d like to see the city develop a master plan for its parks. We’d also like to see some aggressive pursuit of grants for various projects and a renewed commitment to economic development.

Beeville and Bee County are too small for us to splinter in our economic development efforts with one entity striking out one direction, another elsewhere and so on. We must work together with all our mechanisms – Chamber of Commerce, Coastal Bend College, Bee Development Authority, school districts, Beeville Economic Improvement Corporation, banks, city and county – if we want to grow the local economy and opportunities for citizens.

The challenges are many but we have yet another new start conferred in the peaceful transferal of power. Let’s make the most of it.