With a final emphatic win in his "David vs. Goliath" season, David Ige is Hawaii’s next governor — and the state, though remaining in Democratic hands, is poised to change course in such key areas as fiscal restraint, Kakaako and public schools.

Gov.-elect Ige could not be more different than outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie — in style, scope and temperament. Analytical vs. impulsive. Grounded vs. grandiose. Collaborative vs. combative.

Those stark differences will bring crucial changes in the direction of state policy. Clearly, when voters rejected Abercrombie’s authoritarian ways in August, they were ready to turn down the volume on rhetoric, so much so that mild-mannered Ige on Tuesday resoundingly beat back his two better-known general election rivals: former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

It is now up to Ige — with running mate and current Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui — to forge a path for Hawaii that retains a strong resolve for fiscal responsibility, yet inspires important initiatives to benefit Hawaii’s working class and needy, in areas from affordable housing to education.

Both are veteran leaders of the state Senate: Ige is a respected, 29-year lawmaker who chaired the powerful money committee the last four years; Tsutsui was Senate president. All that legislative experience, personal connections and procedural know-how should go a long way toward consensus-building. The fundamental job now is developing a strategic direction for Hawaii.

A few of the top priority areas, among myriad others:

» The budget. Ige will inherit the fiscal situation left by his predecessor and it’s good news: a projected $800 million surplus. Ige’s retooling of the administration’s budget proposal to the Legislature will be telling, especially if he submits a balanced budget as promised.

» Improving information technology and efficiencies. A key to balancing the budget, Ige said, is to collect back taxes owed, estimated at $450 million. If Ige can truly lead modernization of the Tax Department, to collect overdue millions and improve an antiquated process, that would be success indeed. Especially in a state so tethered to government services, Hawaii’s people deserve an efficient, customer-oriented IT system — across all departments.

» Public schools. After four years of slow-but-steady realignment of the behemoth Department of Education to more-rigorous Common Core standards, it seems the movement is at a crossroads. Ige vows reforms to empower individual schools so teachers and principals make the decisions on curriculum and school expenditures. Where Abercrombie unequivocally lauded his appointed Board of Education, Ige — endorsed by the HSTA — criticizes the BOE for failing to provide the leadership that empowers individual schools. Where this all leads — decentralizing or rollback from Common Core? — is of profound concern, and much care must be taken to not hinder students at the receiving end of muddled policy decisions.

» Kakaako redevelopment and affordable housing. The area’s pace of luxury-housing projects has sparked serious concerns about costs and capacity. Ige is right to start resetting the conversation to press for more affordable housing units for Hawaii’s working-class people. "More than 5,000 housing units have been approved in Kakaako recently, but less than 7 percent are affordable to the lower half of our population," Ige said, vowing to "reverse this trend."

Related to this, the state needs to identify and leverage its lands for transit-oriented development. Rail hubs present a unique opportunity to develop multi-use complexes to meet commercial needs, as well as affordable housing for seniors and local families.

Of course, these issues are just the tip of the administrative iceberg; others include the Hawaii Health Connector boondoggle, the unsustainable public-hospitals system, overtime abuses and oversight at the state prisons, the ineffectual Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Chipping away at such entrenched problems will require Ige’s appointment of talented, results-oriented department directors. The new administration needs to hold its chiefs and workers accountable, to ensure competence and improvement. Ige would certainly be off to a good start if, as promised, he holds weekly news conferences in the spirit of transparency. "State government will share information with the public and listen to public concerns and ideas," he said, refreshingly.

The low-key electrical engineer has won the voters’ trust to steer our state for the next four years. Bold ideas and visionary proposals were noticeably lacking in his campaign — but remember, Abercrombie was swept into office four years ago with bold rhetoric, and we saw how quickly it all soured.

For today, Gov.-elect Ige, congratulations and enjoy. For tomorrow, the mighty challenges begin: to make consistent, wise decisions and to implement actions deserving of this new mandate for all of Hawaii.