www.montereycountynow.com SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 Carmel Mayor Dale Byrne bowed out of running for a second term back in April, and immediately Councilmember Hans Buder stepped in, announcing his intention to run, despite having two years left in his term. In June, his kickoff campaign party drew more than 200 supporters, including a number of influential city and regional leaders. With an impressive amount of support, it appeared Buder might run unopposed. As the August deadline to file candidacy paperwork approached, Byrne found a candidate to challenge Buder in David Boland, a banking executive. Boland says he never had any intention to run, but Byrne convinced him. “Dale made an impassioned plea for democracy,” Boland says. Historically, councils have appointed new members when there’s a vacancy rather than call for a special election, which could happen if Buder becomes mayor. “[Byrne] was basically saying, if we go down this path we will have a government by default as opposed to one that was democratically selected and that is what caused me to rise to this particular moment.” Buder and Boland are divided on a few issues, notably on Carmel’s housing element, which was recently amended by the Council after Buder worked with the citizen group Affordable Housing Alternatives. That group, concerned with the original plan that would put housing on cityowned parking lots, created ways to spread units throughout the city in an amendment passed by the Council in July on a 3-2 vote, with Byrne in opposition. Boland agrees with Byrne that the city should look to approve housing on the lots. Buder stands by the amendment. “I’m quite confident we’re going to produce real housing. I’m proud of the plan,” he says. In the council race, three candidates are running for two seats. Incumbent Alissandra Dramov is running for a second term, along with former councilmember Bobby Richards who served two terms from 2016 to 2024. Stefan Karapetkov, a member of the Carmel Planning Commission since 2023, is running for the first time. Karapetkov, an architect, says his time as a planning commissioner has helped him understand the issues. Like Buder, he wants to strengthen the city’s wildfire resilience. Karapetkov also wants to advance undergrounding utilities, as well as protect Carmel Beach from erosion and find solutions to the village’s parking challenges. Dramov says she wants to continue the progress made by the current council, including a deep dive into the city’s budget, which outlined $100 million in deferred maintenance, leading to a 10-year plan to resolve it. Voters will also decide on Measure M to raise the hotel tax and Measure N to raise sales tax. Dramov, Buder and Karapetkov support both. While Richards agrees fiscal responsibility is essential, wildfire safety keeps him up at night. He also wants to focus on infrastructure and preserving beach access. He supports Measure N and opposes Measure M. Pick Three In Carmel, two are vying for mayor and three council hopefuls are campaigning for two seats. By Pam Marino Councilmember Alissandra Dramov, the only woman currenty serving on the Carmel City Council, is running for a second term alongside candidates Bobby Richards and Stefan Karapetkov. NEWS “[The mayor] made an impassioned plea for democracy.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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