LAWRENCE — When William Lantigua is sworn in as the state's first elected Hispanic mayor in January, he will be working with a new City Council the majority of which for the first time also will be Hispanic.

Barring any recounts, six of the nine council candidates voted in are Hispanic — a two-thirds majority. The council also will be made up mostly of newcomers, with six of the nine new members.

Councilors last night said they were thrilled yet humbled to make history along with the mayor-elect.

"It's something different. It's something exciting," said City Councilor Grisel Silva, 36, who was re-elected by a 21-vote margin. "What we're looking for is a positive change, to bring the reputation of Lawrence back to where it's supposed to be."

But Hispanic candidates also were quick to point out that while it was great to make history, this election had not been about race.

"This was an election about Lawrence and not about Latinos," said newcomer Daniel Rivera, 38, who was elected as an at-large councilor. "Lawrence needs a City Council that is hard-working and professional. This is a new day for the city."

According to the latest U.S. Census figures, almost 71 percent of the city's estimated 71,000 population is Hispanic.

The new councilors will have some major problems to tackle — a budget crisis, escalating crime and an aging infrastructure.

"We got some hard work ahead of us," he said.

In one of the biggest upsets, newcomer Oneida Aquino, a 30-year-old event planner and mother of two, defeated veteran City Council Vice Chairman Nicholas Kolofoles for the District D seat, 1,178 to 904.

"I'm thrilled," she said. "People were free to vote for whomever they chose, I'm glad they were very supportive. ... Now my job begins."

In the at-large race, incumbent Frank Moran, 39, was the top vote-getter with 6,668 votes.

"It's a very historic win," he said. "I feel good. ... We all want the same for Lawrence."

Rivera finished a strong second with 5,209 votes, ahead of incumbent Roger Twomey, 79, who netted 4,467 votes for third place.

The men beat out former City Councilor Marie Gosselin, Nestor DeJesus and Gary Ryan for the three at-large seats.

"We worked really hard. It's kind of like the American dream," Rivera said. "Work really hard, do the right thing, play by the rules and you can win."

Sandy Almonte, 37, eked out a narrow 10-vote victory over Joseph Armano for the District A seat, 853-843. Armano has not said whether he will ask for a recount.

Almonte said she is proud to be the first Latino to hold the District A seat.

"It's an honor," she said.

But while she was excited about the Latino majority, she pledged to be an independent voice.

"Who knows. We might be pulling each other's hair out," Almonte said of the Latino majority. "It's not what any of us want up there. It's whatever my constituents want, that's what I'll be fighting for."

In District B, Silva kept her seat, defeating challenger Ruth Rojas by 21 votes, 933-912.

Rojas, who has tried to knock Silva off the council three times now, said she will ask for a recount.

"People still want me there. They bring up my personal life all the time," Silva said. "But nobody's ever questioned the job I do as a councilor."

In District C, Modesto Maldonado beat incumbent Jorge Gonzalez, 912-797.

This was the second time Maldonado, 59, has run for a council seat in 30 years.

"I feel good because I ran a very clean campaign on issues that need to be changed," he said.

Eileen O'Connor Bernal handily defeated Matthew Brien, 1,880 to 677, in District E.

O'Connor Bernal, 37, said she was excited about what other council winners were saying last night.

"It's one Lawrence at the end of the day," she said. "I got a sense that they all want to represent Lawrence, not North or South."

And former City Councilor Marc Laplante is back on the council after beating out incumbent Michael Fielding in District F. He won 1,130 to 772.

Laplante, 43, said he hoped to forge good relationships with other councilors and Lantigua to help move the city forward. He said the historic Latino victory was great, but secondary to him.

"I can understand why there was a lot of excitement for that reason," he said. "The excitement should really be about what collectively we can do to try to improve the city. For me ethnicity is second to productivity and results."