Originally from Hingham, Massachusetts, Dave Potter has been a resident of Monterey County since 1970, and is dedicated to actively serving the local community in many capacities.  Since 2018, Dave has served as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

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Additionally, Dave is the Monterey Bay Division Director on the Board of the League of California Cities, and he also sits on the Boards of the Transportation Agency of Monterey County (TAMC), the Monterey County Mayors' Association, and as Chair of the Coast Rail Coordinating Council, working to deliver passenger rail service to the Coast of California.

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Dave began his public service in 1986 as a member of the City of Monterey’s Architectural Review Committee, as a Planning Commissioner and then on the Monterey City Council. From 1996 - 2016, Dave served on the  Monterey County Board of Supervisors in District Five, representing Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble  Beach and parts of the Salinas Valley.  He served as Chair of the Board four times and participated on the Legislative Committee, Natividad Medical Center Joint Leadership Committee, Economic Development Committee, Capital Improvement Committee, and the Fort Ord Committee.

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Dave was the longest serving government appointee to the California Coastal Commission from 1997 to 2009, and as Commissioner participated in the certification of the Local Coastal Plan that allowed Carmel-by-the-Sea to issue its own Coastal Development Permits, as well as helping to ensure the successful renovation of the Sunset Center.

 

For 20 years, Dave served on the Natividad Medical Center Board of Trustees, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, and the Transportation Agency of Monterey County.  He was also an alternate to the Arts Council for Monterey County, on the Carmel Chamber of Commerce Board and on the California State Association of Counties. 

 

In addition to serving as Mayor, Dave is the owner of Potter Construction and Potter Consulting.  He is married to Janine Potter and has two grown children, Tyler and Sarah.