With his nearly 10-point defeat of former Mayor Sheila Dixon in the Democratic primary Tuesday, Brandon M. Scott has essentially been reelected Baltimore’s mayor, given the extremely long odds that a non-Democrat could win in the general election in this overwhelmingly Democratic city.

But as tempting as it may be for Mayor Scott to celebrate, the circumstances do not allow much time for revelry. If anything, he should hear the clock ticking. The most challenging problems facing Baltimore — from crime to vacant housing, failing schools and pervasive poverty — do not take time off.

And adding to the stakes is that Scott’s Democratic supporter in the White House may not be reelected this fall. That leaves a lot of aid and goodwill to be lost if Donald Trump is returned to office; the former president’s disdain for Baltimore and for its Black leaders was made apparent during his first term.

So now that campaigning is done, it’s time to focus fully on the work at hand. In that spirit, it would seem prudent for Mayor Scott to have a to-do list handy. Lucky for him, we’ve pulled one together to save valuable time.

1. Accelerate public safety improvements. Scott’s success in getting the city’s annual homicide count to fall below 300 was his signature accomplishment — and a disputed one given his difficult relationship with Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. The two will need to find common ground and, along with the city’s police commissioner, produce additional quantifiable success. Any backtracking in violent crime would be a credibility killer.

2. Upgrade city services across the board. Remember Thiru Vignarajah’s assessment that Scott vs. Dixon was incompetence versus corruption? Here’s where incompetence comes in. City residents are frustrated when recycling isn’t picked up or graffiti isn’t removed, sewage treatment plants aren’t run properly, government grants aren’t tracked and so on. Scott needs to get a handle on the little things.

3. Pinch those pennies. As we’ve noted before, Baltimoreans may find a property tax cut on the November ballot and, if so, are likely to pass it. But even if that doesn’t materialize, the city’s going to need to scrape together money to pay for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and the city’s share of the Red Line, the east-west transit proposal that may or may not be light rail. City government is going to have to set priorities and stick to them.

4. Reduce vacancies. We’ve heard a lot of plans on this front. We need them to actually happen. Neglected buildings are block killers. Property owners need to be held to account and that won’t happen if (See agenda item No. 2) the city bureaucracy remains dysfunctional.

5. Help Baltimore City Public Schools make a smart leadership choice. When last we checked, CEO Sonja Santelises hasn’t been signed to a third contract. Should she stay or should she go? The mayor may not have the final say, but he could facilitate any further conversation on this important choice.

6. Invest more time in business and job development. The Greater Baltimore Committee is the obvious partner here. And it’s not as if Mayor Scott has ignored the group, he just doesn’t seem to have made economic development the priority it needs to be.

7. Lastly, but still importantly, Scott needs to keep his nose clean. From the scandals involving Dixon to former Mayor Catherine Pugh to Nick and Marilyn Mosby and others, public faith in Baltimore’s elected officials isn’t especially high these days. That’s a heavy obstruction to progress — one that a mayor with so many burdens to bear already can’t possibly afford.