Voters head to the polls tomorrow to choose mayors in both Amesbury and Newburyport and to weigh in on their communities' leadership in elections marked by some closely watched contests and many others that are uncontested.

With Mayor John Moak choosing to pursue a town manager position rather than run for a third term as mayor, the race to replace him is between city councilors Donna Holaday, the director of the grant program for Middlesex Community College, and James Shanley, co-owner of B Designs, a greeting card design and printing company.

Council seats for at-large, Ward 1 and Ward 3 are also contested races.

Running for five open seats as an at-large councilor are incumbents Barry Connell, Steve Hutcheson, Kathleen O'Connor Ives and Tom Jones, along with candidates Ari Herzog, Michael Ferrick and Frances Sullivan.

In Ward 1, incumbent Larry McCavitt will face challenger Allison Heartquist. In Ward 3, Robert Cronin and Dawne Shand will face off.

The other ward councilors are running for re-election unopposed: Ward 2, Gregory Earls; Ward 4, Ed Cameron; Ward 5, Brian Derrivan; and Ward 6, Tom O'Brien.

The School Committee has three open seats and three candidates are running: Steve Cole, Daniel Koen and Cheryl Sweeney.

Though a number of City Council and School Committee candidates are uncontested, the city's election is a unique one this year because of the presence of a ballot question and 20 candidates relating to the creation of a nine-member Charter Commission.

If formed, the Charter Commission would be charged with rewriting whichever portions of the city's current charter it deems necessary. This could mean anything from changing the length of a mayoral term to choosing an entirely new form of government. They would make recommended changes to the mayor and City Council. Any changes would need to be approved by voters during an election in 2011.

The commission will issue their report and recommendations within 16 months.

Currently, Newburyport has a "Plan B" form of government, in which the legislative body is composed of a mayor and an 11-member City Council, with five councilors elected at-large and six representing the city's wards.

In Amesbury, the election season has been marked by voter apathy and a slate of uncontested races. However, voters will head to the polls tomorrow to choose a mayor between former Municipal Councilor Alison Lindstrom and incumbent Thatcher Kezer III.

Each of the municipal councilors running for re-election this year is doing so unopposed, including Joe McMilleon (District 5), Bob Lavoie (District 4), Allen Neale (at large), Mary Chatigny (District 2), Anne Ferguson (at-large), Bob Gilday (District 1) and Stephen Dunford (District 3).

Two newcomers — Derek Kimball and James Kelcourse — are also seeking uncontested open seats left vacant by Jonathan Sherwood (District 6) and Roger Benson (at-large).

Former two-year member Jane Ward and appointed member David Oxton will both be seeking new terms on the Library Board of Trustees, while new candidates Peter Sheridan and David Pressley are also vying for a four-year term on the board.

Of the four open seats for Planning Board, only one candidate, Karen Solstad, is seeking election to the office, though former member Howard "Griff" Dalton is reportedly pushing for the write-in vote to the four-year post. Jane Snow is reportedly seeking the same for an open seat on the Library Board of Trustees.

Three candidates running for School Committee include Ann Connolly King, Thomas McGee and Gale Hanshaw.

BOX

POLLING PLACES

Newburyport

Ward 1P (Plum Island) — The former Parker River National Wildlife Headquarters, 261 Northern Blvd., Plum Island.

Ward 1 — People's United Methodist Church, 64 Purchase St.

Ward 2 — Brown School, 40 Milk St.

Wards 3 and 4 — Hope Community Church, 11 Hale St.

Wards 5 and 6 — Bresnahan School, 333 High St.

Amesbury

Town Hall

Note: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.