Whether you like him or not and whether you voted for him or not, there’s no denying that former Vicksburg mayor Laurence Leyens was all about improving the looks of the city and, most noticeably, the corridors of Washington and Clay.

The flowers are blooming, the trees are flourishing, the buildings are spruced up and the roadbeds themselves have been resurfaced much of the way. If you can remember eight years ago, you recognize the change.

Flash forward. The work has begun, but at least in 10 places, it hasn’t been finished, and it’s been all too long in the making.

Unplanted planters dot the west side of Washington Street, a major thoroughfare wending past casinos and the best views of the Mississippi River, from Dabney Street to Martin Street. Not only are they ugly, they are a road hazard, just waiting for the unsuspecting driver to ruin a tire or rim.

The new administration has been in office just less than a month, but this is exactly the kind of momentum started in the last administration that the City of Vicksburg can’t afford to lose.

Plant the trees, bushes and flowers. Continue the improvement, continue the positive changes.