CAMPAIGN NEWS

The purpose of city government is simple: to make daily life work in ways that are safe, fair, and forward-looking. It’s not about hours in meetings or the number of reports we generate. Success is measured by results residents can see, feel, and trust. In Carmel, it’s also about protecting what makes our village unique. Action, Not Talk This week’s City Council meetings showed what that looks like. Thanks to the efforts of a highly effective workgroup, we directed staff to c

A Matter of Minutes Last week, I was at a friend’s house at 3:00 p.m. when he suddenly became pale, disoriented, and appeared to be losing consciousness. I called 911. The call was forwarded to three different people, each asking me to explain our location. That is what it takes today to get help to your door in Carmel. Soon, that changes. Thanks to a tough decision and focused work by a councilmember-led committee, Carmel will finally have proper street addresses in the May

When David Marzetti invited me on his Sunday KMBY radio show at Little Napoli, I thought it would be a great way to update residents on the goings on at City Hall. I doubt either of us expected I'd still be participating at 10:30 am with Frank Sinatra songs more than fifty weeks later. What I also didn't expect was that the more I talked, the more I found myself listening. This shift toward listening has shaped my perspective, whether I'm hosting guests on the air, drafting t

If you watched this week's City Council meetings, you know they weren't ordinary. If you missed them, I’m sure the Pine Cone has you covered today. But, I’ll give you my overview here. Over two long days, the Council took up tourism, housing, finances, leadership, and ballot measures. Across 20 agenda items, one question kept surfacing: How do we preserve the Carmel we love while preparing for the Carmel we're becoming? See Monterey: Restoring the Partnership The first major

Two years ago this week, I attended a meeting with two associates to discuss who should run for mayor. By the end of the meeting, the conversation had turned toward me.. There was just one problem. I had never run for office. Like most people facing something new, my first thought was, "Now what?" Fortunately, there is plenty of help available online, at City Hall, and from former councilpeople. I was thinking about that meeting this week because nomination papers for Carmel'

I received an unexpected message recently from Fuheis, a community of 22,000 people in the hills northwest of Amman, Jordan. Known for oak trees, olive groves, and a deep history, they told me they are struggling to hold onto what makes their town worth living in as the modern world presses in from every direction. Sound familiar? Their representatives asked how a small coastal community managed to protect its character for more than a century against the relentless pressure

June 4th, 2026 Good morning. It is truly an unexpected honor to be here today with you. My name is Dale Byrne, and for six more months I have the honor of serving as the Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea. But I want to be honest with you right up front: I did not plan any of this. In some ways everything I have done in life has led me here, from the time I thought I was managing the project to build our new family home next door when I was five years old to managing a Foster’s Freez

Memorial Day in Carmel is always meaningful. This year it was something more. Standing in Devendorf Park on a cloudy Monday morning, I had the honor of introducing Secretary Leon Panetta to a crowd of residents, veterans, and visitors gathered to honor those who gave everything in service to this country. Surrounded by war memorials, it was one of those moments that reminds you why this community is unlike any other. Leon Panetta is one of us. He lives in Carmel Valley. He sh

Two Things Happened At this week's well-attended budget workshop, two developments signal something important about where Carmel is headed. The first was the continuation of a budget process unlike any this city has seen. Staff came in having done the hard work of examining every line of spending. Some of those reductions, as Mayor Protem Buder noted with his usual directness, went past muscle, past bone, and into marrow. We added some funding back where it made sense but enc

A Role You Don’t Always See One of the less visible parts of being Mayor is helping residents and business owners navigate City Hall when their projects get stuck. It happens more often than it should. Someone follows the rules, submits plans, responds to comments, and then things slow down. Weeks turn into months. Answers become unclear. The path forward gets harder to see. Sometimes, people feel they need to hire an attorney just to move things along. We all know the feelin

At an Important Moment As I’ve shared in recent columns, Carmel is at an important moment as we face decisions that will shape this village for decades. This is a time that calls for careful thought, a clear understanding of the full picture, and constructive dialogue. Last week’s front page article and comments around my Housing Element Amendment public comment brought many of these issues into focus. I shared my perspective publicly to help frame the conversation and highl

Introduction and Purpose I am submitting this comment as a Carmel resident and as Mayor, having followed the Housing Element process closely over the past several years. I strongly support housing production, including affordable units, in Carmel. We need them, and among all those in need, our seniors are the most urgent priority. Long-time residents who built their lives here are increasingly priced out as rents rise beyond fixed incomes. I also want to thank the volunteers

In recent weeks, I have seen first-hand how two local institutions made bold decisions about their futures. Both offer lessons worth carrying into Carmel’s next chapter. Opportunity Favors the Bold In 2023, the Carmel Foundation purchased the former Red Cross building, transforming a quiet administrative office into a vibrant wellness center. Today it hosts exercise equipment, yoga classes, and welcoming spaces for coffee and conversation. Foundation leadership saw opportunit

A Parable About Making Tough Decisions Let me tell you about three coastal villages that faced the same problem, and made very different choices. All were beautiful. All were proud of their history, charming downtowns, and loyal residents. All depended on visitors who filled their sidewalks on sunny weekends. And all had aging roads, outdated public buildings, rising costs, growing deferred maintenance and an economic model that was no longer working. For years, leaders in ea

The List of Things We Don’t Talk About The last two weeks, I’ve put the “rhinoceros skin” you grow in public office to good use while seeing many examples of what we’ve quietly decided is “impossible.” We have a long list. Parking structures are “not allowed.” Undergrounding utilities is “too hard.” We can’t build new hotels without ruining the town. Housing can’t exist without destroying our character. We can’t have an honest talk about our untenable parking situation. And i

Loving Carmel — and Owning the Responsibility That Comes With It Good morning to my colleagues, City leadership and staff, and to those here today to help us with our important work. I’ll begin simply. I love this village. I know everyone in this room does too. That love is why Carmel has remained passionate, beautiful, and special for generations. But love also carries responsibility. And sometimes responsibility asks us to talk about things we would rather avoid. The Conver

In my last column, we talked about the village choosing its future. That conversation reminded me of 1991, when a group of residents gathered to imagine Carmel in the year 2016. Sunset Center hadn’t been upgraded, Ocean Avenue was quieter, and the internet hadn’t yet arrived. Like many previous times over the previous 100 years, residents sensed a crossroads. So, they formed the Carmel 2016 Committee. Their assignment was simple: dream about the qualities so distinctive to Ca

A Special Place Good afternoon, everyone. It’s an honor to be at La Playa—a place Margaret and I enjoy often, though usually you’ll find us on the terrace toasting their famous "Mayor" cocktail with our two pups at our side. First, I’d like to commend the talented Visit Carmel board and staff: Your work is sophisticated and strategic. You aren't just "marketing"; you are curating the soul of our village for the world. As we’ll see in a few minutes, the results speak for thems

As we enter 2026, I’ve been reflecting on a year of listening to our community. After dozens of Council meetings, 27 Pine Cone columns, and hundreds of conversations, one core question keeps surfacing: What do we want Carmel to look like in the future? Today, many of our challenges are being managed by momentum. To keep Carmel special, shouldn’t we be making intentional choices rather than letting the future simply “happen” to us? The Traffic and Tourism Gap Every year, our

The End-State of Carmel As we enter 2026, I find myself reflecting on a year of intense learning. After writing 27 columns, overseeing 40 Council meetings, and listening to hundreds of residents, one fundamental question has emerged: What is the desired “end-state” for Carmel-by-the-Sea? I will discuss some of these issues below. Promotion Without Preparation? Today, many of our systems operate on momentum rather than intention. Through Visit Carmel and See Monterey, our hote