When the need for a new Cambridge mayor came up in the wake of Andrew Bradshaw’s January resignation, retired judge and former commissioner Steve Rideout was of the opinion that it might be best to have just a five-member City Council with no mayor.

But then he saw what Council President Lajan Cephas had to juggle as acting mayor while holding down a regular job and raising a family, and Rideout realized a mayor was important to Cambridge. He has learned that, though it is a part-time position, the mayor must always be available.

“You have to be ready at how many different events to say something different and be present,” he said. “So, it’s not something you can sign up for and then just sit back and let stuff happen.”

But Rideout did sign up as a candidate in the special election, and now that he is the people’s choice, he has no intention of just letting “stuff happen.”

However, as a “weak” mayor under a city manager-council form of government, he has limited authority to do anything. His job is to run the city council meetings and declare emergencies as outlined in the charter. He can offer suggestions and ideas to the commissioners, elected officials and agencies at the state, county and local levels to see if various issues can be addressed more effectively.

But City Manager Tom Carroll runs the day-to-day operations, and Mr. Rideout intends to stay out of his way.

“What I want to do is to take these two-plus years to give the city manager form of government a real chance to show this city how we can shine,” he said.

Despite the fact that most of the city commissioners endorsed state Sen. Addie Eckardt, his opponent in the mayoral election, Mr. Rideout has no doubt the council will work with him productively. For his part, he plans to run the meetings effectively while being open and transparent and keeping the council apprised of his activities. But he thinks they need to take on the city’s tasks in moderation.

“We have so much on our plate that needs to be done, we can’t overload ourselves,” he said. “We have dug a hole in so many areas here in the community that we need to find a way to get ourselves out of some things in order to be able to be more successful.”

Mr. Rideout plans to rely on help from the citizens to accomplish important goals. He said he has encountered many locals who care deeply about the community and want to make positive change. He sees so much that is hopeful, and he believes the people of Cambridge can overcome the city’s challenges if they come together.

“We have people in this community who are bright, capable, energetic, and want to see things work better,” said Mr. Rideout. “What I want to do is help to empower them, the community, to make these changes.”

Perhaps the most significant challenge inhibiting Cambridge’s development is crime. While everyone is aware of the violence happening in the city, Mr. Rideout knows that the people of some neighborhoods are more directly impacted by it than others.

“Not only are their family members or neighbors being harmed or, unfortunately, killed,” he said, “but they’re having to live in a culture of fear and concern and anxiety that they shouldn’t have to live in. And they deserve for government to do its best to address those issues.”

He has already given some ideas to the police chief that the department will work on, but Rideout is also a longtime advocate of prevention and early intervention.

He is eager to help develop and promote various programs for the community’s young people. The youngest children would benefit from having volunteers read to them, while older kids could be involved in afterschool activities, and mentors could assist young adults with job training.

“A lot of it is the community has to be engaged in helping to make all this happen,” said Mr. Rideout.

He believes the citizens can make things happen because he believes in the city.

“Cambridge is a beautiful town, it’s a beautiful part of Maryland, it’s got great people,” he said. “It has so much potential that has not been realized that I hope I can help realize.”

“We have a beautiful community,” he continued. “The waterfront, the downtown businesses, the possibility of new development here.”

Speaking of development, Mr. Rideout feels that Cambridge Harbor is progressing satisfactorily, thanks to the consistent vision of Cambridge Waterfront Development.

“I’m confident the board knows what the city wants, what the residents want, and will take that into consideration as they’re looking into the different opportunities for development.”

But, he cautions, for Cambridge Harbor to really be developed, a lot of infrastructure will be required first, including streets, streetlights, sewer and water. If the eventual developer does not take on that responsibility, it will fall to the city. However, while Cambridge has a number of major challenges, Mr. Rideout believes it has multiple gifts as well, especially in the potential of its people.

“I’d like to see our community come together more, work together more, listen to one another more, and, in doing that, start addressing the challenges that we have,” he said. “My success as a mayor really is the success of the community by what it’s doing.”