One week after Carmel Mayor Dale Byrne announced he's not running for a second two-year term, Councilmember Hans Buder has publicly declared he will run for the post in the November election.
"I've been talking to my family and, after giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to run for mayor," Buder said in a written statement. He said some residents have been asking him to run over the past few months.
Buder was elected to the council in 2024, after serving on the Carmel Forest and Beach Commission and as chair of the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey. His background is in the financing of low-income to mixed-income housing units.
He's been a steady, thoughtful voice on the council, wading through complex issues including the city's housing element, development decisions and a projected budget deficit, among others.
"My top priority as mayor will be to get back to basics by building a government that's more responsive to residents, more efficient and more accountable," Buder said.
Buder is the first person to declare he'll be running for mayor. Councilmember Jeff Baron, who ran for mayor in 2024 and came in second place behind Byrne, says he will not run for mayor a second time. He is seriously contemplating running for re-election for a third four-year term.
It's still very early—nominations for the election on Nov. 3 won't begin until mid-July.