If a well-crafted inaugural speech is any indication, Mississippi’s new governor is on the right track. According to reports, Gov. Ronnie Musgrove used the word &uot;we&uot; nearly 40 times in his speech Tuesday; he used the word &uot;together&uot; six times.

And, while he stopped short of shouting &uot;unity&uot; at the top of his lungs, he used his moment in the spotlight to raise the stakes with lawmakers and political leaders in Mississippi.

His goal is a cohesive and synergistic approach to government that sets aside the old political turf battles and ill feelings.

After the last four years of battles in Jackson and the Capitol between the former governor and the Legislature — and the state’s recent disgrace over its election process — Gov. Musgrove’s ideas are a welcome breath of fresh air.

The test will come in implementing those ideas.

Lawmakers and community leaders — in Jackson and throughout the state — are going to have to adopt Musgrove’s &uot;togetherness&uot; approach to changing Mississippi. Without that cohesiveness, and without that commitment, the challenges that we face — from improving our educational systems to finding ways to stimulate economic development — will continue to linger.

While a true test of Musgrove’s leadership skills will be found in his ability to foster that cooperation and unity, our elected officials in state government must participate, too.

We encourage our area lawmakers to adopt an open-minded approach to the issues that come before them.

It’s time to put politics and egos aside, roll up our sleeves and get to work.