Congratulations to all those who took part yesterday in what is the purest expression of democracy - a free election. Congratulations to voters who took the time to make their preferences known and to the candidates who, win or lose, offered to serve their communities, in some cases for little pay.

Congratulations especially to the mayoral winners — William Lantigua in Lawrence, James Fiorentini in Haverhill and William Manzi in Methuen — and to those elected to seats on city councils and school committees. Your communities have chosen you to lead. Their hopes for progress rest, in part, on you. That trust should make you both proud and humble.

So, take a moment to relax and savor victory. The hard work of campaigning is over, but the harder and more important work of governing is about to begin. We wish you well and hope for your success.

Lawrence's enormous problems are familiar. Unemployment is nearly double the state average. The schools are leaderless, with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy under criminal investigation, and are still chronically underperforming. The city's finances are precarious. Crime is on the rise. And litter continues to plague streets and neighborhoods. One of Lawrence's strengths is its diversity. Lantigua, who made history as the first popularly elected Latino mayor of Lawrence, will have to unite the disparate elements of the city if Lawrence is to prosper under his leadership. One of the first things he should do is keep one of his campaign promises and end his tenure as a state representative so he can devote himself full time to the difficult job of managing the city.

In Haverhill, while there is continuing progress in housing and economic development, the city still struggles under a crushing debt burden left over from the former Hale Hospital. It still has a structural spending problem - it is spending more than it takes in from taxes, fees and state aid. Its reserve fund, which swelled to $4 million during good economic times, is largely depleted.

Fiorentini, who has taken steps to curb spending, must continue to do so, and set the example with cuts in his own budget and at City Hall. Yesterday's vote should give him the confidence to spend some short-term political capital in the long-term interests of the city.

And in Methuen, Manzi gets credit for a budget that is in far better shape that those in other Valley cities, but the municipal unions do as well, for helping the city through fiscal troubles. That kind of shared sacrifice may need to continue. Manzi, who survived a challenge from Al DiNuccio, but not by much, should heed the warning that voters have some misgivings about his leadership. He needs to be more aggressive about curbing the kind of nepotism and patronage that occurred in the recent naming of reserve police officers. When people lose faith in equal treatment, they lose faith in government.

But for now, it is time to celebrate the possibilities. We wish those elected to office well, with hopes for success for them and their communities.