Richard M. Daley is now mayor of Chicago. His inauguration was one of pomp and pageantry, but now it is time for him to get down to business.

Daley now must face the problems of a deficit totaling more than $120 million, a city council that has been less than cooperative with the mayors of the recent past and bringing together a racially separated city.

Only 8 percent of Chicago’s black population supported Daley at the polls, and this figure is one indication of the divisive ideologies that exist in a city often called the most racially separated in the country.

But Daley seems to be willing to handle the problem of calming the waters between whites, blacks and hispanics, both male and female. His selection of cabinet members is evidence of his keeping his campaign promises. Daley recently appointed five blacks, five women and two hispanics to his cabinet.

However, this is only a beginning. Some representatives of the black community felt Daley’s inauguration was a sad day for the city. They felt their days of fair representation were over, and the machine politics commonly associated with former Mayor Richard J. Daley would return.

One optimistic opinion came from Chicago Alderman Luis Guitierrez, who said of the new mayor and the city’s outlook, “There is a new dawn in Chicago, and you are leading us into it, and we should be applauding you for it.”

To be safe, we cannot applaud too early, but it will be refreshing to finally see the city working together. Keep your fingers crossed.