WITH LESS than a month until she is sworn in as D.C. mayor, Muriel E. Bowser has started to give shape to her administration. In retaining Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, she kept campaign promises to stick with proven success. In recruiting a professional city manager from outside the District, she made clear that experience, not political connections, is what mattered. These are encouraging signs that we hope will bode well for Ms. Bowser’s tenure.

Her first appointment, announced last week, was Rashad M. Young to the all-important job of city administrator. Mr. Young has served for the past three years as city manager of Alexandria, where he earned a reputation for his data-driven approach to government and a hard-nosed approach to the budget. Both should stand him in good stead as he moves from Alexandria to the challenge of running the day-to-day operations of a far larger city government. His experience managing a neighboring jurisdiction should be helpful in addressing issues that cross jurisdictional lines.

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