Yesterday's Democratic primary didn't technically elect Catherine Pugh Baltimore's next mayor, but barring some sort of cataclysmic event between now and November, it might as well have. Since Theodore McKeldin became the city's last Republican mayor in 1963, the closest anyone has come to knocking off the Democratic nominee was Samuel A. Culotta's nearly 28 percent tally against Mayor Kurt Schmoke in 1991.

Despite what is all but a foregone conclusion after her narrow victory over former mayor Sheila Dixon, Ms. Pugh won't be inaugurated until December, an unusually long transition period that comes on top of the protracted lame duck period caused by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's announcement last fall that she would not seek re-election.

There is too much at stake in Baltimore right now for the city to drift through seven months of limbo. The de-facto mayor-elect may not have actual power yet, but Ms. Pugh still has a tremendous bully pulpit by virtue winning the most hotly contested mayoral race in at least 17 years. She needs to use it, and there isn't a moment to lose. Here are what should be the top six items on Ms. Pugh's to-do list:

Surround herself with the best

If there is a reservation about Ms. Pugh among her supporters it is whether she has enough good people around her to perform on the level she will need to as mayor. Her campaign has been caught flat-footed a few times — most recently yesterday morning when people showed up at her campaign office demanding jobs they believed they had been promised — and the consequences of slip-ups will be magnified once she takes office. Ms. Pugh has excellent ties to Baltimore's business community and to state leaders in Annapolis. She needs to take advantage of both to recruit top-notch talent to her staff.

Ms. Pugh released a series of position papers outlining her priorities, but they were generally less detailed than those of her competitors. That obviously didn't matter in the primary, but it will matter when it comes time to govern. She needs to spend the next few months fleshing out her ideas.

Stop the charter amendments

The most dangerous product of the dysfunctional relationship between Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the City Council — particularly Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young — is a series of charter amendments that are on a trajectory to land before the voters in November. While we believe the amendments are generally well intentioned, they are terrible ideas that would make turning Baltimore around all the harder.

One would mandate that 3 percent of the city's discretionary budget go toward funding for youth initiatives. In February, the council overrode Mayor Rawlings-Blake's veto and sent it to the voters. It sounds good, but it's bad fiscal policy.

The second would strip away the mayor's control of the Board of Estimates. We certainly agree that there's a conversation to be had about making that body a more effective check on a mayor's power, but the particulars of this proposal would be disastrous. This amendment would effectively create three mayors, not just one, when it comes to setting the city's spending priorities. That's unworkable. It passed the council 12-1, with 12 being the number of votes needed to override a mayoral veto.

The third would give the council the power to allocate money to its own favored projects and causes in the budget. Currently, the council can only cut from the administration's proposal. The virtue of the current system is that when there is a dispute between the two branches of government, the default is to spend less money rather than more. In combination with the Board of Estiamtes amendment, it would put the council firmly in control of the budget, which is a recipe for paralysis. It passed 14-1 and awaits Mayor Rawlings-Blake's veto pen.

Ms. Pugh needs to work to prevent veto overrides on the latter two amendments. Lobbying the current members of the council could surely help. But another key strategy should be to persuade Mayor Rawlings-Blake to find a way to reinstate the $4.2 million in after school program funding she provided after last year's riots but failed to include in her spending proposal for next year. Putting that money back would be a sign of good faith and would take the edge off the council's defiance of Mayor Rawlings-Blake.

Beyond that, Ms. Pugh has the opportunity to lead a public conversation about whichever amendments make it to the ballot. She should pledge a thoughtful, independent review of the city government's structure and balance of powers — and in the meantime raise money to mount a campaign to ensure the amendments' defeat.

Lead conversation on Port Covington

During our endorsement interviews, we asked all the top mayoral candidates for their opinions on Sagamore Development's request for $535 million in tax increment financing for the proposed new Under Armour campus and related development in Port Covington. We didn't get a single straight yes/no answer from the bunch. Ms. Pugh said she sees enormous potential in the deal but needs to know more details, in particular about how the project might benefit nearby neighborhoods like Cherry Hill.

We understand that Under Armour is under time pressure to accommodate a workforce that will soon outgrow its existing facilities in Baltimore, but the prospect of the current council approving or rejecting the deal in the next few months poses problems. Unless the process is radically different from that used for the Harbor Point TIF deal, for example, it is liable to breed resentment among many in the public, particularly in the wake of last year's unrest.

Ms. Pugh needs to engage directly and publicly with Sagamore and with city residents to develop a strong public understanding of the details of the deal (good or bad) and to go on the record with her recommendation to the City Council. Whether the project moves forward or not is an enormously consequential decision for the city for years to come, and Ms. Pugh needs to bear some accountability for it.

Beat a path to Gov. Hogan's door

Ms. Pugh needs to work with Gov. Larry Hogan's administration on two initiatives that could help shape the city's future. One is the governor's commitment (beefed up and codified by the General Assembly) to devote more resources to tearing down vacant homes. The city and state need an agreement on how to prioritize the work to both foster economic development and public safety. Ms. Pugh needs to build a consensus within affected neighborhoods on the goals for the newly cleared land and should seek to employ tools like community land banks to ensure continued public input.

The second is the proposed revamp of the city's bus routes. There's no question that the bus system needs an overhaul; it's inefficiencies and design flaws make it profoundly difficult for many in Baltimore's most impoverished neighborhoods to access and keep jobs. But the effort needs to be guided by people who recognize the need for a bus to go all the way down Greenmount Avenue, for example, and not to stop abruptly at 33rd Street. The mayor needs a bigger say in the operations of the MTA generally and should start a conversation about whether structural changes to the agency are needed to ensure it.

Take accountability for the schools

A growing number of community leaders and elected officials are calling for city schools CEO Gregory Thornton to be replaced. Ms. Pugh has made clear that the mayor needs to be judged on the success or failure of the schools, but she has not taken a position on whether Mr. Thornton should stay or go. She needs to take a side. The quality of educational outcomes for city students may be the single most important factor in determining whether Baltimore thrives or declines, yet for years we have seen an arms-length relationship (at best) between City Hall and North Avenue. That can't continue.

Ms. Pugh also needs to get directly involved in the effort to reconcile the dispute over charter school funding. Charters are keeping families in the city and providing opportunities for students who otherwise would have none. We can't afford to let them fail. Meanwhile, the lawsuit by some charter operators over their level of funding threatens to cripple traditional schools. We have no illusion that it will be simple to settle the matter — if Mr. Schmoke couldn't bring the sides together, it must not be easy — but it needs to be done, and the resources and clout a mayor can bring to the table could help.

Build an agenda with the new council

At least six — and likely a couple more — of the 14 members of the City Council will be new come December, and the caliber of candidates for those seats across the city is among the most encouraging developments in post-Freddie Gray Baltimore. Many addressed similar issues in their campaigns, including the need to reduce economic disparities; raise the level of opportunity in the inner city; improve police-community relations; and make the city government more responsive, efficient and transparent. Ms. Pugh needs to translate those goals into a specific policy agenda with legislation ready to go when the council is sworn in.

Baltimore went to the polls yesterday to vote for change. Ms. Pugh and the new council need to show right away that they can deliver.