The mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea is the official head and chief executive officer of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The mayor is elected for a two-year term and limited to serving no more than two terms. Under the California Constitution, all judicial, school, county, and city offices, including those of chartered cities, are nonpartisan.

Dave Potter is the city's current mayor, having assumed office on November 8, 2018. 1

He was reelected on November 3, 2020, again for a 2 year term as mayor, with 73.62% of the vote.2

List of mayors

# Mayor Term start Term end   Party Notes
1 Alfred P. Fraser 1916 1920     Alfred Parker Fraser (1873-1930) was the first mayor of Carmel. Built a house in 1913 on the northwest corner of Camino Real and Ocean Avenue.3 4
2 Eva K. DeSabla 1920 1920     Eva K. DeSabla was the first woman mayor of Carmel.5 Ran for city trustee in the charter election of 1916. She was appointed mayor in April 1920 but resigned the post five months later. M.J. Murphy built her a cabin at Santa Rita and 4th Ave., in 1917.6
3 William T. Kibbler 1920 1922     William Thomas Kibbler (1856-1937) owned one of the first homes in Carmel, twice elected mayor, and was treasurer of the Forest Theater.7
4 William L. Maxwell 1922 1922     William L. Maxwell, wife of Laura W. Maxwell, was mayor for only 19 days in 1922.8 9
5 Perry Newberry 1922 1924     Perry Newberry was a writer, actor, and publisher of the Carmel Pine Cone. He was Carmel's fifth major.10
6 William T. Kibbler 1924 1926     William T. Kibbler was elected mayor for the second time.7
7 John B. Jordan 1926 1928   Republican John B. Jordan was an actor and scholar, purchased the Pine Inn hotel in 1922.
8 Ross E. Bonham 1928 1930     Ross E. Bonham was elected mayor in 1928 on the "business ticket." At the end of his term he was elected on the city council.11 In 1926, Georege Whitcomb constructed a Tudor-style house for Bonham on the SW corner of San Crlos Street and 12 Avenue.3
9 Herbert Heron 1930 1932     Herbert Heron was the first poet mayor. He became the eighth mayor of Carmel.10
10 John C. Catlin 1932 1934   Republican John C. Catlin was a blacksmith mayor and lawyer.12
11 James H. Thorburn 1934 1936     Philip Wilson Jr.'s sister, Grace Hood Wilson, married James H. Thorburn, who was the Carmel mayor from 1934-1936.5
12 Everett Smith 1936 1938     Everett Smith (1891-1967) was called the Forester-Mayor because he was strong advocate for environmental preservation.13
13 Herbert Heron 1938 1940     Herbert Heron was elected mayor for the second time. He ran on the platform for "Carmel's beautification" and "Keep Carmel Beach free of commercial concessions."14 15
14 Keith Evans 1940 1942     Keith Evans was the first mayor to hold the office for two consecutive teerms but left to serve in World War II.16 17
15 Percy A. McCreery 1942 1946     Percy A. McCreery took over mayor Keith Evans's position when he left to join the army. He won a second time in the April 1944 election.18
16 Frederick M. Godwin 1946 1950     Owner of the La Playa Hotel along with his brother Harrison. Fred Godwin had a brief film career in the late 1920s.19
17 Allen Knight 1950 1952     Allen Knight served eight years on the Carmel City Council, and a two-year mayoral term in April 1950.20
18 Horace D. Lyon 1952 1958     Horace D. Lyon was elected for three consecutive teerms.21 During his tenure as mayor, Lyon resided in the George E. Butler House, a Spanish Eclectic-style home constructed in 1936 by builder Ernest Bixler.22
19 John S. Chitwood 1958 1960     John S. Chitwood was mayor (1958-1960) and a member of the city council for 12 years.23
20 Frank Putnam 1960 1962     Frank Putnam, local merchant, was elected mayor of Carmel by a three-man vote.24
21 Eben Whittlesey 1962 1964     Eben Whittlesey was the first blind mayor of Carmel.25
22 Herbert B. Blanks 1964 1966     Herbert B. Blanks was named Carmel's new mayor on April 14, 1964 with a vote 3-2 for Blanks.26
23 Stephen A. Grant 1966 1968     Stephen A. Grant was elected Mayor of Carmel in April 1966.27
24 Benard Laiolo 1968 1972     Benard Laiolo, owner of Village Electric and resident for over 20 years, became Mayor of Carmel. He served three terms.28
25 Bernard Anderson 1972 1976     Bernard "Andy" Anderson became Carmel's new Mayor in April 1972. He had a career in US Forestry, retired in 1965, and moved to Carmel.29
26 Eugene Hammond 1976 1976     Eugene Hammond was mayor for only seven months, citing health and business reasons.8
27 Gunnar Norberg 1976 1980   Republican Gunnar Norberg was sworn in a Carmel's new mayor after Eugene Hammond resigned. He served two terms as city councilman and two terms as Mayor.30
28 Barney Laiolo 1980 1982     Barney Laiolo was sworn into office in April 1980. This was his third-term as Mayor. He was mayor from 1968-1970 and 1970-1972 and the only three-term mayor in Carmel's history.31
29 Charlotte Townsend 1982 1986     Charlotte Townsend became the second female Carmel mayor in 60 years.32
30 Clint Eastwood 1986 1988   Republican Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor on April 15, 1986 in a landslide win.33
31 Jean Grace 1988 1992     On April 12, 1988, Jean Grace, a Monterey Bay Air Pollution Control District field representative, won with 53% of ballots cast, a margin of 276 votes over her only other major opponent, Clayton Anderson, a retired public administrator; Grace had been endorsed by the incumbent mayor, Clint Eastwood.34
32 Ken White 1992 2000     A councilman since 1988, Ken White defeated former three-term mayor Barney Laiolo. He served as mayor of Carmel from 1992 to 2000.35 36
33 Sue McCloud 2000 2012     Sue McCloud served as a six-term mayor, the longest (2000-2012) in Carmel history.37
34 Jason Burnett 2012 2016     Jason Burnett won by a landslide by receiving 72 percent of vote. He won a second term in 2014.38 39 40
35 Steve Dallas 2016 2018     Steve Dallas was elected mayor in 2016. He was elected to the city council in 2014.41
36 Dave Potter 2018 2024   Democratic On November 8, 2018, Dave Potter was elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea for a 2 year term. He received nearly 60% of the vote.
37 Dale Byrne  2024 Current     On November 6, 2024, Dale Byrne was elected mayor of Carmel. He received 39.29% of the vote. Source: https://carmelpinecone.com/MoCofinal.pdf

See also

References

  1.  "Potter elected mayor by 2 to 1 margin; Baron and Theis for council" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  2.  Schley, Mary (6 November 2020). "Potter re-elected; Richards, Ferlito on council" (PDF)The Carmel Pine Cone. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3.  Dramov, Alissandra; Momboisse, Lynn A. (2016). Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 42–43. ISBN 9781439656747. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  4.  "Fog Makes Fleet Late In Reaching Monterey Harbor"Bakersfield Morning Echo. Bakersfield, California. 26 Aug 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  5.  Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. p. 56. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  6.  The Carmel Pine Cone, June 20, 2008
  7.  Watkins, Rolin G. (1925). History of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, California: Biographical. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. p. 45. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  8.  Jerry Gervase (February 20, 2015). "A short historical jaunt through 100 years with the Pine Cone" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  9.  "Artist Trustees Of Carmel Take Oath Of Office"Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 19 Apr 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  10.  Watson, Lisa Crawford (July 6, 2015). Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. ISBN 9781439651179. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  11.  "Ross E. Bonham"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1954-04-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  12.  "Mayor Chosen"Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 19 Apr 1932. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  13.  "Tree Sculptor for Carmel Planned"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1936-10-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  14.  "New Council Installed"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1938-04-22. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  15.  "Carmel Gets Poet-Mayor"Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. 13 Apr 1938. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  16.  "Tree Situation Well in Hand; Council Tours"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 3 May 1940. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  17.  "Coast Area News Round-Up, Monterey"The Californian. Salinas, California. 24 Apr 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  18.  "Rountree Bows McCeery in As Carmel Mayor"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1944-04-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  19.  "The Editor's Column"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 19 Apr 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  20.  "Allen Knight"The Times. San Mateo, California. September 3, 1964. p. 29. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  21.  "Voters Happy Horace Lyon Again Mayor". Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1956-04-19. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  22.  Dramov, Alissandra; Momboisse, Lynn A. (2016). Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9781467115971. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  23.  "Commander John S. Chitwood USN Ret"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1962-09-20. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  24.  "Chitwood Stages Brown Act Protest in Mayor Election"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1960-04-21. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  25.  "Man Who Cannot See Beauty In Carmel Is Elected Mayor"The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 19 Apr 1962. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  26.  "Herb Blanks Is Named Carmel's New Mayor"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1964-04-23. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  27.  "Stephen Grant Is Carmel's Mayor"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1966-04-21. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  28.  "Large Turnout To Welcome New Carmel Council And Mayor"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1968-04-18. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  29.  "Anderson named mayor"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1972-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  30.  "Norbert elected mayor 3-2"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1976-09-30. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  31.  "New era begins for Carmel city government"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1980-04-17. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  32.  "Charlotte Townsend elected mayor; Stephenson and Maradei to council"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1982-04-15. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  33.  "Clint Wins It's Eastwood, Laiolo and Fisher in landslide"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1986-04-10. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  34.  Hills, Nancy (1988-04-14). "Carmel Says 'Grace!': Ken White elected to council, Jim Wright retains seat"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  35.  "White elected mayor of Carmel"The Californian. Salinas, California. 1992-04-15. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  36.  Wolf, Paul (1992-04-15). "White edges Laiolo by 158 votes: White to be bridge-builder; Coniglio is top vote-getter"Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  37.  "Democrats to contest election results" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 18 Apr 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  38.  "Landslide puts Burnett on council; McCloud gets sixth term" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 16 Apr 2010. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  39.  "Voters pick Burnett, Talmage and Beach by huge margins" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 13 Apr 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  40.  "Election results put smiles on winners' faces" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 11 Apr 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  41.  "Steve Dallas elected mayor by solid majority" (PDF)Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 15 Apr 2016. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-25.