City Council candidate Ernie Martin squeaked out a 48-point victory over opponent John White to represent Mililani Mauka, the North Shore and parts of Windward Oahu.

In “uncertified final results” posted this morning, Martin had 11,056 votes to 11,008 for White.

Martin will represent District 2 and join two other new members on the nine-member City Council. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo pulled out a definitive victory in District 6 and Stanley Chang topped his opponent in District 4.

All of this year’s City Council races produced new elected officials, as the incumbents could not run because of term limits.

Martin, 50, is an attorney and has worked for the city for 23 years, most recently as acting director of community services, a job that pays $112,000. A City Council member receives about $52,000, he said.

Martin said his platform is built on preserving open space, and constituents have told him to fix basic services in the district, including keeping restrooms clean at parks, having the rubbish emptied and to improve the roads.

Martin said White had been campaigning long before he got into the race, but Martin said he knew if he got to the general election, he could make up the vote lead White had in the primary.

Martin has lived in the district for nearly 24 years, he said. “I’m their neighbor in the district,” he said.

“I know what the issues are, and more importantly, I know where the resources are so that we can remedy some of those issues,” he added.

White, 35, who has city and federal legislative experience, was a proponent of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Windmills were featured prominently on one of White’s campaign mailers.

Chang defeated fellow Harvard graduate and lawyer Richard Turbin, 48 percent to 43 percent. The 4th District seat represents Waikiki and the coastline to Makapuu Point.

Turbin, 65, is a former president of the Hawaii State Bar Association. Chang, 28, most recently was a real estate lawyer.

Youthful enthusiasm and new ideas seem to have resonated with voters.

“I’ve canvassed over 19,000 homes in the district and what I heard over and over and over again was that residents really wanted a fresh start, fresh ideas, in addition to a fresh energy,” Chang said. “They wanted improved roads, sewers and water mains. They wanted the city to spend wisely so it can spend less.”

Turbin previously said he was the victim of a smear campaign involving his Haleiwa beach house and the length of time it is rented out. Turbin said he complies with a law requiring 30-day rental periods.

A longtime bed-and-breakfast opponent said he had raised the issue.

Chang said he ran a “100 percent clean, 100 percent positive campaign from day one.” “I have a lot of respect for my opponent,” he added.

Tamayo, 29, beat Sesnita Moepono, 60, in the 6th District, which includes downtown Honolulu, Liliha, Kalihi Valley and a portion of Kalihi. Tamayo had 49.5 percent of the vote vs. Moepono’s 35 percent.

Tamayo, a 1st lieutenant in the Hawaii Army National Guard, was 21 when she became the youngest legislator ever elected to the state House in 2002.

The daughter of state Sen. Mike Gabbard and former board of education member Carol Gabbard, Tamayo pointed to her “real-world experience” in many different areas, combined with the “freshness” she said voters are looking for on the Council.

She echoed Chang’s thoughts on voters picking candidates with new ideas.

“It’s been an amazing campaign, and (Tuesday was) just  a wonderful day to close out,” Tamayo said. “I was sign-waving at each of the precincts. I worked my way through the entire district, ending in Kalihi Valley. We had over 30 sign-wavers there.”

Four new board members will be on the nine-member Honolulu City Council come January, and a fifth will be added with Chairman Todd Apo’s impending resignation.

Former Board of Education member Breene Harimoto ran unopposed in the primary election for the District 8 seat, which includes Aiea, Pearl City and Waipio Gentry.

No matter how the voting shakes out, a new City Council will be full of newcomers who will have to perform yeoman’s duty to balance financial realities with citizen needs.

Twenty-four furlough days are in effect this fiscal year because of a $140 million projected deficit. Under a settlement agreement, the city needs to make $3.5 billion in sewer upgrades over the next 10 years.

The city’s $5.5 billion planned rail transit project, meanwhile, is undergoing a state review to determine the financial “reasonableness” of the city’s plans to fund the largest, most expensive public works project ever undertaken in Hawaii.

Budget woes are on the minds of all the candidates, with many saying cuts are necessary.