We congratulate Richmond’s next mayor, Levar Stoney, the former state secretary of the commonwealth who was instrumental in helping shepherd Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s effort to restore the voting rights to felons in Virginia who had served their time.

At 35, Mr. Stoney apparently will be Richmond’s youngest mayor. We believe he has the energy and ability to take on the many critical issues that face the city, including school funding.

We also congratulate candidate Jack Berry and others for surviving an initial field of 18 candidates and distinguishing themselves from the crowd with campaigns that stuck to the issues and what’s important to voters. We hope Mr. Berry’s stated commitment to the city will manifest in a role of continued service to the people of Richmond and the city’s future.

We wish Mr. Stoney success in the new role he will undertake on Jan. 1. We note he won in council districts in the city’s East End to the near West End and from the North Side to the South Side. We urge him to engage more fully in the city’s poorest districts and to consider focusing more attention on South Side, which often seems to receive a smaller share of city resources.

We hope, too, that as a newcomer to Richmond’s political scene, Mr. Stoney will be committed to appointing competent leaders and veer away from the cronyism that has plagued city government in recent years.

The long and, at times, grueling election proved that the city deserves a strong mayor for all the people. And we want nothing less from our next chief executive.

We look forward to your ideas and energy — and, more importantly, your results.