The city welcomed a new city administrator last week, and two newly elected city council members this week. It appears that the new council members — and City Administrator Mike Yanez — are prepared to hit the ground running.

Yanez says he’s been spending the early days in the city’s top administrative job observing how operations are handled here and taking the temperature of citizens and city employees alike on the city of Tonganoxie.

Undoubtedly, he’ll soon offer up some recommendations for the city’s governing body. And Yanez appears more than qualified and capable of making sound recommendations.

The two new city council members — Jason Ward and Jim Truesdell — should be good additions to city government. Last week, they, along with incumbent Steve Gumm, who’s proven his worth on the council, were elected to four-year terms. Those three join strong council members in Ron Cranor and Velda Roberts and Mayor Dave Taylor.

Tonganoxie’s governing body has much work to do in the coming years, which always is the case with a growing community. And it appears that the city’s governing body and top administrator are up to the job.

However, as we look to the future, we should not forget the past. And any discussion of the new city council members should include a note of thanks to the two retiring members of the body. Both Kathy Graveman and Emmett Wetta proved to be strong council members. And while business obligations prevented Wetta and Graveman from attending as many council meetings as they would like, they both have worked hard for the city.

In addition, during the several months that the city has operated without a city manager, the Tonganoxie city staff has stepped up to the plate. The staff — and Kathy Bard, assistant city manager, in particular — have absorbed the administrator’s workload, while continuing to handle their own duties. They are to be commended for keeping the city on an even keel during the time the top administrative post went unfilled.