CUMMING — Cumming voters have elected their first city councilwoman in nearly 60 years.

According to unofficial results from Forsyth County’s elections office, Linda Ledbetter won the Post 5 seat with 224 votes, or about 53 percent of the total Tuesday. She defeated Julie Tressler, who garnered 199 votes, or about 47 percent.

“You never expect to win, but I sincerely hoped I would win. I’m very thrilled at the results,” Ledbetter said. “I had so many wonderful people come out to help me.

“I had a lot of people help me calling, putting out signs. That’s the only way I could have won.”

The former Forsyth County commissioner and retired educator will become the first woman to serve on the five-member council since Dot Otwell did so in 1956-57. Ledbetter’s four-year term will begin in January.

The nonpartisan election Tuesday, open only open to Cumming residents, was conducted citywide. There are 1,968 registered voters in Forsyth County’s lone municipality and turnout Tuesday totaled about 22 percent, or 441.

Ledbetter said her experience as a county commissioner likely will help her in her new elected office.

“That’s a hard job [being a commissioner]. You can’t please everybody. You have to make some hard decisions, and you have to weigh a lot of things back and forth,” she said. “I think it will be easier in the city. The choices will be less severe.”

Ledbetter is the first cousin of Lewis Ledbetter, who won an uncontested race Tuesday for the Post 3 seat he has held since 1971. The ballot also included a contest for Post 4 on the council, which went to local attorney Christopher Light.

The Post 5 election was spurred by longtime incumbent John D. Pugh’s decision in August to not seek re-election. He was first elected in 1993.

“I’m just very excited about the opportunity to serve,” Linda Ledbetter said. “I know there will be some opportunities the city will face I can be a help to.”

The race was her second of the year. She was part of a four-candidate field to fill the Post 1 vacancy created when Rupert Sexton retired this spring. Local banker Chuck Welch won that contest.

She went up on Tuesday against another opponent from that race in Tressler, a real estate agent and small business owner.

“I had a lot of great supporters, and I’m so thankful for the people who did come out for me,” Tressler said. “Linda is a great lady. She’s a friend of mine, and I’m sure she’ll do a great job.

“But you know what they say, you can’t fight City Hall.”

Tressler said wasn’t sure about her political future. Seven years ago, she ran to succeed Linda Ledbetter in the District 5 county commission post in 2008, falling by 30 votes to Jim Boff in the Republican primary runoff election.

“I’m very active and involved in this community. I volunteer a lot, and I do a lot of different things. So I don’t know,” Tressler said.

Two write-in votes were received for the race, both in advance. Most of the votes — 252 — came in advance of the Nov. 3 election, while 18 absentee ballots were counted and 155 people showed up at the Cumming precinct on Tuesday.