AUBURN – Ron Potvin called it the “backfire effect.”

“For everyone who fought City Hall the last two years, it backfired on them,” said the City Council at-large candidate.

Two of Auburn Hall’s harshest critics lost their seats Tuesday night. Ward 4’s Donna Lyons Rowell lost to challenger Bruce Bickford, 392 to 823.

Ward 5’s Belinda Gerry lost to challenger Ray Berube, 779 to 863.

At-large candidate Bob Mennealy, a longtime council critic, held on to narrowly defeat Potvin, 2,944 to 2,913. The two placed second and third in a five-way race for two at-large seats. C. Ellen Peters took a commanding lead in that race, with 4,063 votes.

As councilors, Rowell, Gerry and Mennealy consistently voted against tax breaks proposed by city administration for new businesses and costly projects. They formed a minority voting bloc on the City Council.

Tuesday’s vote was a backlash against those councilors, Potvin said. “I just wish I could have mustered the few votes I needed to make it complete.”

Potvin said Tuesday he would ask for a ballot inspection, the first step toward an official recount.

“I felt pretty confident after everything we’ve done, but it’s tough to overcome an incumbent,” he said.

Other incumbents held on.

In Ward 2, Robert Hayes defeated challenger Jodd Bowles, 969 to 789. Ward 3 incumbent Eric Samson defeated challenger Dan Herrick by a slim margin, 824 to 805.

For many voters, it came down to the names they knew.

“It’s why I’m feeling confident,” said Ward 4 winner Bruce Bickford earlier in the day. “They came up to me and said they knew my mother or they recognized me. So that really helps.”

Rowell said she was frustrated by the vote. She faced two opponents who agreed with her on most issues.

“They even said I’d done a good job,” she said. She was puzzled that they ran against her. She thinks she and councilors Mennealy and Gerry did a good job getting information out on controversial topics, even though they regularly wound up on the losing side of 4-3 votes.

Challenger Bickford said it came down to change.

“That’s what people told me they wanted for the entire council, good or bad,” he said. “They want to see something new happen.”

Mennealy said he was happy to finish second in the at-large race. Opponent Peters raised more than $3,000 for her campaign, and he thinks it was a factor.

Being an incumbent may not have helped, either.

“I think people want change, and I think the lack of cohesiveness on this current council pissed them off,” Mennealy said.