If the record low primary turnout in many communities in September is any indication, voters aren’t exactly fired up about Election 2019 in Massachusetts. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some important decisions being made on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Fifty-eight communities in Massachusetts are heading to the polls to elect mayors, city councilors, school committee members and other municipal positions. These are elected positions that have a direct impact on the communities they serve. Here are some of the key races across the state we’re paying close attention to on Tuesday.

Jasiel Correia

Riding the wake of Fall River’s indicted mayor

No city in Massachusetts has had a more tumultuous political year than Fall River.

Mayor Jasiel Correia, who was the city’s youngest person to be elected mayor in 2015 at the age of 23, was arrested and indicted in October 2018 on federal charges of wire fraud and filing false tax returns. Refusing to step down, Correia faced a recall election in which voters voted to recall him. But there was a twist. The same ballot asked voters to pick among Correia and four other candidates for mayor. Correia was still the top vote-getter, securing his seat. He was both recalled and re-elected on the same day.

But it wasn’t over. In September Correia was arrested by the FBI after it was alleged the mayor had extorted potential marijuana vendors in the city. The city council voted to remove Correia, who fought back saying the council had no authority to do so. A judge agreed, saying only the voters could do that.

During the September primary, however, Correia came in second behind School Committee member Paul Coogan. The mayor, who had remained steadfastly optimistic despite facing multiple federal charges, announced he was suspending his campaign for re-election and taking a leave of absence.

But there’s still another twist. Correia is still on the ballot. Running or not, voters will be asked to pick between him and Coogan on the ballot. And in October, City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros announced a write-in campaign for mayor.

Grab your popcorn, folks.

Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. walk to St. John's Church.

Is Worcester still moving in the right direction?

Worcester has been the talk of the state for the past several years. The once struggling-to-find-a-path-to-the-future city has been undergoing rapid change. New development, a burgeoning dining scene and news of the move of the Pawtucket Red Sox Triple-A team to the city have echoed across the state.

No one has led the city’s push forward more than the team of City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. and Mayor Joseph Petty. Although Augustus is appointed by the city council, it’s been clear since his appointment in 2013 that he and Petty have a clear vision for moving the city forward -- making the downtown new again, attracting higher-earning residents to live there while encouraging more business and development throughout the city. Petty’s last election two years ago was seen largely as a referendum on the direction the city was going. And he won, pulling in more than 70 percent of the vote.

This year, perennial City Council candidate Bill Coleman and newcomers Donna Collorio and Owurakwaku Poku Sarkodieh are challenging Petty for mayor.

And don’t overlook the city’s School Committee race. Eleven candidates are vying for six seats following the death of Brian O’Connell, who passed away last month but will still be on the ballot. The election follows a contentious year in the school district where Superintendent Maureen Binienda was under laser focus following issues in the schools over race, student discipline and sexual education.

There’s a theme at the polls in Worcester this year. Are people still happy with the direction things are moving in?

Boston City Hall.

Boston’s leadership could be more diverse after the election

The big story here is that the council, once dominated by white men, has been changing and growing more diverse. This election could take that to a new level.

Eight candidates are on the ballot competing for four at-large City Council seats in Boston this year. Five more district races will offer choices while four other districts have councilors running unopposed.

As WBUR pointed out earlier this year, there hasn’t been a Latino member on the council for six years despite the fact that they make up nearly one in five Boston residents.

The council, which now includes six women of color, has two Latinos vying for an at-large seat on the City Council. And they’re coming into the election fairly strong. Alejandra St. Guillen and Julia Mejia came in fourth and fifth place out of a crowded field of 15 at-large candidates in the primary in September.

Attention Tuesday will be on them as well as incumbent Michelle Wu, who continues to be eyed as a potential challenger to Mayor Marty Walsh.

John L. Vieau, left, and D. Joseph Morissette, right

A new direction for Chicopee?

The decision by longtime Chicopee Mayor Richard J. Kos not to seek re-election opened up the door to a new voice for this Western Mass. city of about 55,000.

Joseph Morissette, a former police officer and current high school vice principal, is the candidate who is advocating for a new approach for Chicopee, which includes renegotiating the police contract and increasing police presence in Chicopee Center, which he says is in need.

John L. Vieau is the candidate with 16 years of political experience on the city council who very much represents continuing the city’s current path.

At the heart of the election is the two candidates’ views on public safety in Chicopee. Morissette believes violent crimes need to be curtailed and that more officers are needed to do this. Vieau rejects the notion that the city isn’t safe.

“I have my headquarters downtown and I’m there very late at night,” Vieau said in an interview with New England Public Radio. “Do I feel unsafe downtown? Absolutely not.”

Renderings of two proposed Holyoke middle schools. Voters will determine whether to fund the schools in a vote on Nov. 5.

$132 million can get you two new schools in Holyoke

Hoyloke is heading to the polls Tuesday to vote on funding two new middle schools for the city. The city has been awarded a $73.2 grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, but the city will still need to vote on a Proposition 2 1/2 percent override to make up the difference for the $132 million schools project.

The School Building Authority would reimburse Holyoke 60% of construction costs, which leaves the city short by about $59 million needed for a long-term bond.

Proponents of changing Roxbury's Dudley Square to Nubian Square have already placed signs in the neighborhood. A ballot question Tuesday asks voters if they prefer the switch.

Does Dudley Square’s name pay homage to a slave-holding past?

There’s one ballot question in Tuesday’s election that is all about neighborhood identity.

Dudley Square is the heart of Roxbury, a hub of the African-American community in the city. But the square is named after Thomas Dudley, the second Massachusetts Bay Colony governor who, among other notable things, presided over the passage of laws that allowed slavery.

In a move supported by the city council and Mayor Marty Walsh, the ballot measure on Tuesday proposes to change the name of the square to Nubian Square, in reference to one of the earliest civilizations in ancient Africa. There are already signs up in the area welcoming visitors to Nubian Square.

While Tuesday’s ballot question is citywide, city officials say they will pay close attention to the vote in Roxbury, where census data shows nearly 56% of residents are black. The Public Improvement Commission will examine voters’ choice on Election Day, and will make decisions on next steps with the advisory opinion as guidance, according to the mayor’s office.

Michael McCabe, a police captain, and state Sen. Don Humason will face each other in the general election for Westfield mayor on Nov. 5. (Photos by Don Treeger and Greg Saulmon of The Republican)

A state senator and police captain face off in Westfield

Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan is heading off to begin serving as Gov. Charlie Baker’s director of the Green Communities Division of Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources. This has created a vacuum waiting to be filled by one of two candidates who have both been models of civil debate this election season, squarely putting their visions for the future of Westfield before the voters.

Republican State Sen. Don Humason is running against Police Capt. Michael McCabe. And what they both agree on is that they want to lead a city they say has shaped their lives.

Humason has had a successful political career, first being elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 with 63% of the vote. He was elected to the State Senate in 2013 and in his most recent election in 2018 ran opposed garnering 98% of the vote.

McCabe has built a strong reputation as a police captain and is targeting managing waste within the city.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone, right, addresses reporters and immigrants during a news conference regarding immigration in Somerville, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP

Somerville’s Mayor Joseph Curtatone is used to the spotlight. First elected in 2004, the mayor has led a progressive city and frequently finds himself in the headlines, whether it’s defending Somerville’s “Sanctuary City” status or hanging a Black Lives Matter banner outside City Hall. And he’s proven popular at the polls, too.

But Curtatone is being challenged by Marianne Walles, a Massachusetts Department of Children and Families social worker, who pulled 37% of the three-way vote in the primary election in September. Walles is arguing Curtatone’s progressive image doesn’t hold up. Walles has been focusing on the city’s need for affordable housing.

With the primary turnout (like many municipalities this year) so low, it’s hard to know what to read from those results. That makes Tuesday’s election in Sommerville one to watch.

The old Capitol Theater in downtown Pittsfield.

A defining moment for the city of Pittsfield

Like many cities in the commonwealth, the city of Pittsfield has been working to battle its way back to a city on the rise since the recession. A growing dining destination, new housing, a posh boutique hotel in the downtown and a new Wayfair call center have been just a few of the highlights.

Unlike many other communities, Pittsfield is expecting a good turnout at the polls on Tuesday.

Mayor Linda Tyer is facing off against longtime Councilor at Large Melissa Mazzeo and it really is a battle for the direction of the city.

“This is definitely momentous for the city of Pittsfield,” Tyer told The Berkshire Eagle.

The Pittsfield election could be a defining moment for the city, which appears divided in its vision, the Eagle reports.