By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — Mayor John Moak did something unusual on Tuesday — he left work at 4 p.m. when City Hall closed for business.
Arriving home, he wasn't quite sure what to do next, he said.
So, he took an antique key he had purchased long ago, gilded it with gold, mounted it on a plaque and wrote a caption. It was a gift to his successor, whoever that turned out to be.
He gave it to Mayor-elect Donna Holaday at her victory party Tuesday night.
Holaday defeated fellow City Councilor James Shanley in the race that decided who will take office when Moak leaves at the end of the year. Moak didn't run for re-election, instead choosing to look for a town administrator job, which would bring with it a better salary.
For Moak, it was the first election in some time in which he wasn't at the forefront of the action.
"It was a little melancholy, but it was my choice," he said.
Still, for the former city clerk turned mayor, old habits die hard. He was up early Tuesday, same as he has been every election day for more than a decade. He took time to visit the polls and thank the workers, many who once worked for him.
"The reality is, there was an election yesterday, and I'm not going to be mayor two months from today," Moak said yesterday. "Yesterday morning, my life kind of changed. This morning, it really changed."
For Moak, who has served four years as mayor and was city clerk for 11 years prior, January will mean a big change.
"I've spent 15 years in this small part of City Hall," the mayor said.
He admits he's looking forward to a commute again and the chance it will give him to listen to the radio and talk shows.
Moak said he intends to keep searching for a job in municipal government for another few weeks. His goal is to find a position as a town administrator in a community the size of Newburyport or smaller.
Soon, he will start searching for jobs in the private industry, he said.
"I have to work," he said, adding that his reasons for not seeking a third term included his finances.
But until his last day in office at the end of the year, Moak will focus on finishing up some projects. That includes working on some outstanding union and department head contracts, focusing on some ongoing construction projects around the city and finalizing aspects of the city's health care plan, he said.
He also needs to clean up his office and get it ready for Holaday, Moak said.
Moak said he will meet with Holaday to help her transition. Asked if he had any advice to share with the incoming mayor, Moak paused and thought about it for a minute.
"We have a good group of department heads," he said. "I think it's good to listen to them, listen to their approach, have respect for their approach ... before jumping into changes."
He said he would tell her to follow the decision she reaches after she's done her research and made up her mind on which way to go on a matter.
"You can't listen to the footsteps behind you," Moak said.
