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Boca Raton swears in new mayor and council; council appoints deputy mayor and committee representatives
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Summary
At an organizational meeting on March 31, Boca Raton swore in Andy Thompson as mayor and three council members, then completed appointments including deputy mayor, CRA chair/vice chair and representatives to several regional committees. Most selections were voice votes with no roll-call tallies recorded.
The Boca Raton City Council held its organizational meeting March 31, swearing in a new mayor and three newly elected council members before completing a slate of routine organizational appointments.
At the start of the meeting the oath of office was administered: "I, Andy Thompson, do solemnly swear..." followed by similar oaths for Michelle Grau and John Perlman and Stacy Sippel. The swearing formalized the incoming membership of the council and led to brief remarks from the newly sworn officials thanking supporters and outlining priorities such as Memorial Park, fiscal stewardship and preserving public spaces.
After the ceremonial proceedings the council moved into organizational business. The body nominated and selected Michelle Grau to serve as deputy mayor; the nomination was seconded and approved by voice vote. Councilmembers then selected a chair and vice chair for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), appointing Mayor Thompson as CRA chair and naming Yvette Drucker as vice chair, again by voice vote.
Other committee and representative appointments followed. Stacy Sippel was named chair of the auditor selection committee under ordinance No. 5690. John Perlman was appointed the city's representative to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. The council also confirmed Stacy Sippel as the representative to the IPARC interlocal plan amendment review committee and named an alternate. Council approved a voting delegate for the Palm Beach County League of Cities and finalized the city’s two Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) representatives and alternates; speakers noted MPO service involves monthly meetings in West Palm Beach.
Most of the organizational items were approved by voice vote; the meeting record does not show roll-call tallies for those appointments. Council discussion included practical considerations about workload for roles such as deputy mayor and CRA chair and the time commitment for MPO participation.
Outgoing council members were recognized earlier in the ceremony and several offered valedictory remarks thanking staff and residents, noting the scale of city operations and highlighting public-safety staffing concerns (including an appeal to address staffing at Station 8). Newly sworn members emphasized unity and responsiveness to residents as early priorities.
The council concluded the organizational meeting after confirming the full slate of appointments and representatives and set expectations for the next meeting, including plans to address Memorial Park dedication in the near term.
