Mayor of Hamilton Jay Bluck faces a number of challenges as he takes over the leadership of the Corporation this week, not the least of which is to restore confidence in an organisation that has lost its way.

Another is that Mr. Bluck does not come into the job with an overwhelming mandate. He may well have benefited from the three-way race with the incumbent Mayor, Lawson Mapp, and with Deputy Mayor, Sonia Grant.

As it turned out, Mr. Mapp was resoundingly rejected, but it is possible that some of his 22 votes would have gone to Ms Grant and given her the mayoralty. That will never be known. What is certain is that Mr. Bluck, given the narrowness of his victory, needs to prove himself quickly.

He can do that in a number of ways. All three candidates seemed to get the message that the Corporation?s waterfront plan was far too grandiose and expensive and should be drastically scaled back, if not dumped altogether.

And the rationale that the plan would ?get people talking? was a nonsense. There is already a consensus that the waterfront from Number One Shed to Number Six Shed is wasted as it now exists and needs to be improved. But that can be done without massive reclamation and the like. The major question is whether the cruise ships need to be moved, and if so, where they should go.

Going hand in hand with the waterfront redevelopment is the replacement of parking elsewhere. Even if the waterfront is left as it is, Mr. Bluck needs to find solutions to the city?s parking problems both by making more parking available and, in tandem with the Ministry of Transport, reducing congestion and commuting.

The other waterfront problem concerns the future of the Hamilton Docks. There is less consensus on their relocation than there is for the rest of the waterfront. As Ms Grant noted, the Docks are a key source of revenue for the Corporation which will be lost if they are moved. The second problem concerns their relocation. The only vaguely viable sights are Morgan?s Point, which would create even more severe congestion in the West End, and the North Shore in Pembroke or Devonshire, where winter storms would present a severe engineering challenge. Hamilton is the ideal place for the docks because of its central location and superb harbour. Hamilton?s problem is that docks are unsightly and cause congestion in the City.

Mr. Bluck and his colleagues need to decide what they wish to do with the Docks, and should do so quickly.

The Corporation should also decide what it wishes to do with the Par-La-Ville hotel proposal, which has been going nowhere for years now. It needs to decide if the city really needs a central hotel, and if so, whether that is the best location. This newspaper thinks any hotel there would be a white elephant and should be shelved.

Mr. Bluck may well have been elected because, of the three candidates, he placed the most emphasis on crime, and he may have been indirectly helped by the shootings on Court Street just before the election. Nonetheless, he was right to emphasise crime and the need to heighten the Police?s street presence. Similarly, more needs to be done to discourage begging and the harassment of residents and visitors by street people.

Mr. Bluck needs to place heavy focus on North Hamilton. Seeking zoning changes to encourage more residential development in Hamilton is part of the solution. The Corporation could also offer tax incentives with the same aim, as well as to encourage more retail business in the north of the city.

The way to reduce crime in North Hamilton specifically and in the City generally is to encourage economic growth while taking a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour and so-called minor crimes. This is ?the broken window? approach that has worked so well in US cities and the Corporation, in tandem with the Police, needs to do the same in Hamilton.

Finally, the Corporation needs to address voter registration. Already operating from a restricted franchise, its failure to keep the voters register up to date is a scandal that needs to be redressed immediately.

Mr. Bluck, in spite of his narrow win, has an opportunity to be a highly successful mayor.

He can accomplish it by reducing the Corporation?s ambitions and focusing on the city?s real problems.