County Treasurer-Tax Collector to retire this year, and a search is set to begin for her replacement.

When Mary Zeeb first joined the Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office 38 years ago as a revenue recovery specialist (the formal name for a tax debt collector), she never imagined that she would end up at this place in her career 38 years later. 

This place is as the elected Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector, a role she has held for 15 years over four election cycles. 

She is retiring at the end of 2025, with one year left in her four-year term. That leaves the Monterey County Board of Supervisors with the task of recruiting and appointing her replacement for 2026, something the board is scheduled to discuss in closed session on Tuesday, Oct. 28. 

"I fully intended to serve out the entire term, but it is hard when you are hired in four-year increments to match what life throws at you," Zeeb says. She declines to offer details but adds, "There are some personal things going on with myself and my family that really need to be addressed."

She says she plans to remain local, and she recently became the grandmother to two new grandchildren (joining four older grandchildren). 

Things have changed in her 38 years in the department and her 15 years at the helm. When she started, Zeeb says they did not even have a system to accept credit card payments. 

She has prioritized customer service and keeping up with changing laws and technology that make it easier to collect tax payments. The office also serves as the banker for school districts. "Part of what I have done is develop good relationships, safeguarding [school district] funds," Zeeb says.

"It's really been an honor and a privilege to serve the county for all these years," she adds. "My office is positioned very well at this point with division heads that are ready to take on this challenge and continue to move forward."

As for what's next, an election is already scheduled for the June 2026 primary for this countywide position. Zeeb says Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector Jake Stroud, who was hired in 2017, has indicated he is interested in running. "I think he's absolutely 100-percent qualified to step in and he really is my right hand," Zeeb says. "I would be happy to endorse him, should he ask."