Five years ago, Thomas Buckley and Daryl Hickman rode to victory in Lake Elsinore promising to reform a city government that seemed mired in ineptitude. It kept getting sued -- and losing -- because of poor decisions, and cronyism was rampant. Economic development was virtually nonexistent.

Change was not immediate -- Buckley and Hickman remained in the minority until three years ago -- but it came. City Manager Dick Watenpaugh and longtime Assistant City Manager Marlene Best were shown the door, and some new management practices installed. And while things are far from perfect in this oldest of Southwest County cities, the horizon definitely looks brighter.

For that reason, The Californian urges voters to return both Buckley and Hickman for second terms to continue leading the city toward prosperity.

More work is needed on the crime front, but the crime rate has dipped the last few years. And as anyone driving Interstate 15 can see, developers have finally discovered the stretch between Murrieta and Corona -- and not just home builders. Retailers have discovered the area, giving the city a nice boost in tax revenue.

The biggest problem the city faces now is how to manage the growth. The slowing housing economy should help keep the brakes on and allow the city to make sure infrastructure keeps pace, and the council can learn from the errors the county, Temecula and Murrieta made along the way.

For the first time in decades, Lake Elsinore is moving in the right direction. There's no reason for voters to change horses now.