Natchez city voters headed to the polls Tuesday night and decided several key municipal races.

All but two races — mayor and Ward 4 alderman — were decided in Tuesday’s primary election.

Ward 4’s top two vote getters will face one another in a runoff election later this month. The mayor’s race will be decided in next month’s general election since an independent candidate remains in the race.

If your preferred candidate didn’t win, let’s brush that off and support the victors until the next election cycle.

For all other candidates who ran, we pause to say, “Thank you.”

Without people willing to roll up their sleeves and put their names on the line, our system of government wouldn’t work.

We need smart candidates with a heart for public service running for office. All too often, it seems, candidates are simply running for the paycheck. The voters will eventually catch on and oust those folks from office.

Today though, as many of those candidates begin the plan for moving past the election, we hope they’ll keep their chins up and be proud they had the guts to run for public office. It’s not easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

We urge all candidates whose races are now over to begin collecting their campaign signs and properly disposing of them. Doing so will be a favor to the community by quickly removing the visual clutter.