New Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Selected, Commissioners Sworn In

MONROE COUNTY, FL – At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board chose Mayor Pro Tem Craig Cates to serve as Monroe County Mayor and Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the next year. Mayor Cates has been a commissioner since 2019, and Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein since 2021.

Mayor Cates and Mayor Pro Tem Merrill Raschein recognized outgoing Mayor David Rice for his mayoral duties for the past year.

The mayor title is given to the chairperson of the Board of County Commissioners. The commissioners choose the designee based on a majority vote, usually at the November board meeting. A mayor pro tem is also designated to fill in when the mayor is unavailable. The mayor presides over the Board of County Commissioners meetings and serves as the Monroe County representative at ceremonial occasions. The mayor is also responsible for signing and cosigning documents with the County Clerk.

In addition to the ceremonial passing of the gavel, four of the five commissioners, Michelle Lincoln, Holly Merrill Raschein, David Rice, and Jim Scholl, were re-elected to their seats and were sworn in by the Clerk of the Court Kevin Madok.