Roanoke elected its first independents to the city council in 30 years Tuesday, sweeping a "For the City" ticket into office to cap a historic and tumultuous campaign fought mainly over Victory Stadium and the city schools.

School board member, restaurateur and psychiatrist David Trinkle got the most votes and will be the city's new vice mayor when the new council takes office July 1. Grant writer and former federal government manager Gwen Mason was second, and she'll continue the city's streak of having at least one woman on the council for the past three decades. And Councilman Alfred Dowe was re-elected, grabbing the third spot.

"I am so excited," Trinkle said as a jubilant throng shouted its approval outside one of his South Roanoke restaurants. "Trinkle-Mason-Dowe swept. They won. I'm ready to go tomorrow."

The independents were the only candidates in a field of 10 to support the council's recent decision to pursue separate stadiums at the city's high schools instead of a Victory Stadium renovation.

The race's major-party candidates all favored Victory Stadium preservation. Democrats David Bowers and Granger Macfarlane finished fourth and fifth; Republicans Mark McConnel and Stuart Revercomb finished sixth and seventh; Democrat William White Sr. finished eighth; and independents Carl Cooper and Bill Lockard finished ninth and 10th.

The "For the City" slate's win -- which will go down as one of Roanoke's most notable political achievements -- was also a victory for Mayor Nelson Harris. It was Harris and current Vice Mayor Bev Fitzpatrick who stepped away from the powerful city Democratic Party and helped form and support the independent ticket. Harris and Fitzpatrick needed at least two of those candidates to be elected, or they risked being relegated to a council minority unable to stop a new majority that would have been led by Democratic councilmen Brian Wishneff and Sherman Lea, both staunch Victory Stadium supporters.

Now, Harris and Fitzpatrick will team with the three newly elected council members to continue their agenda -- which will include the demolition of Victory Stadium and the continuation of plans to build separate stadiums at Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools.

Minutes after the results were announced Tuesday night, Harris hugged the winners and sent this message to those who opposed the "For the City" slate as well as his point of view:

"They wanted a referendum -- they got a referendum!" he yelled.

Later, Harris, a Baptist minister, said the independents' win represents a "sea change for local politics in Roanoke. The people have spoken."

Mason said she's ready to serve with Trinkle and Dowe, whom she said have become like brothers to her.

An emotional Dowe said the slate's win was a testament to positive versus negative campaigning.

The election was in doubt until the last few of the city's 33 precincts reported Tuesday -- but they were the most important votes of the night. Voters in South Roanoke's two precincts, where four of the 10 candidates in the field live, turned out in masses compared to other city areas and carried the three independents.

Voter turnout citywide was 25.8 percent, the highest since the 2000 election, which unlike this year featured a mayoral race.

The Democratic candidates made concession speeches about 9:10 p.m. before about 30 supporters at the Ramada Inn on Franklin Road.

"Bill Clinton was right. Comebacks are hard," Bowers said. "We gave it everything we had," he said of himself and the other two Democrats in the race. "We really worked hard at this."

Bowers said Victory Stadium was obviously on the minds of voters.

"The stadium was the deciding issue, and the citizens have spoken," he said. "I honor and recognize that."

Wishneff, who has two more years in his present council term, indicated it will be hard to work with the new slate of candidates.

"We just have such a different view of the world that I don't think there's a lot that we can get done."

Wishneff acknowledged that "the people have spoken" but also said the pro-Victory Stadium candidates split the vote.

Asked if there was still a legal battle to be waged to keep Victory Stadium from being torn down, Wishneff responded: "Not by me."

A crowd of about 30 people gathered Tuesday night at the Republican headquarters on Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke.

"It's a real surprise for me," Revercomb said. "I really thought it would be a tighter race."

"Now it's our job to support our elected officials and hold them accountable for what's wrong with our city," McConnel said.

Staff writers Jay Conley and Jen McCaffery contributed to this report.