Meet Your City Council Members

 

Index

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 Steve Young-Mayor

Steve was raised in Burbank California where he graduated from Burbank High School in 1969.  He earned a BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley in 1973, and went on to earn his MA in Urban Policy and Administration from San Francisco State University in 1975. 
 
Steve has spent 28 years in local governments, managing various projects in the fields of Community Development, Redevelopment,  Affordable Housing, Neighborhood Preservation and Economic Development in various cities in California and Virginia.  
 
In 1999, Steve was appointed Director of Community Development for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). In that position, his duties included overseeing the redevelopment and revitalization of the closed Air Force bases at Mather and McClellan. He also was responsible for the funding, oversight and  preservation of California's historic Sacramento Delta town of Locke, and worked closely with the Sacramento Sheriff and District Attorney in efforts to reduce crime in Sacramento's most vulnerable neighborhoods. 
 
In 2008, Steve retired from SHRA, and, with his wife Marty and their daughter Cora, moved to Costa Rica to experience a different culture, learn a new language, and broaden their horizons. While in Costa Rica, Steve and Marty volunteered with local programs and schools teaching English as a second language to young adults. 
Upon Cora’s graduation from The European School in Costa Rica in 2012, she started college at the University of Puget Sound. At that time Steve and Marty moved back to the US, settling in Benicia.  
 
In 2013, Steve was appointed to the Benicia Planning Commission where he served for four years. In his first attempt at elected office, Steve was elected to the Benicia City Council in November of 2016 and elected to Mayor in November of 2020.
 
Steve also serves on the following committees:
  • ABAG
  • League of California Cities
  • Finance Committee
  • Traffic, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee
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 Terry Scott-Vice Mayor

Terry Scott was elected to City Council in November 2022. He is a 10-year resident of Benicia who has served as Chair of the Arts and Culture Commission, Public Art Committee, participated with several local organizations, and has helped form several community philanthropic groups.

 

Terry was formerly Executive Director of the Benicia Community Foundation and sits on the board of the Jewish Democrats of Solano County, among several other local and national boards and charities. He is also an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area Ferry 2050 Citizens Advisory Visioning Committee.

 

Over the years, Terry has owned several small businesses, including a successful restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island with his sons, and a large indoor sports complex in Ohio.

 

He founded a “top one hundred advertising agency” in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, published a consumer lifestyle magazine in South Florida, and served for more than 20 years as Senior Vice-President, Global Head of Brand Creative Services for Hasbro, Inc.

 

At Hasbro, Inc., he managed over 700 internationally based employees with a $1.7 billion dollar budget. Terry also founded and served as Executive Producer of Hasbro’s theatrical video production facility, Cake Mix Studios, in Providence, Rhode Island.

 

He was a regular guest lecturer at Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design and Pratt College of Art in New York City. He also served as Corporate Chair of the March of Dimes fund drive in Providence, Rhode Island.

 

Terry has been married for nearly 47 years to his wife Randi, a forensic archaeologist and member of the Incident Management Team—Solano County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. They have three sons and a granddaughter.

 

He earned a B.S. degree from Kent State University and completed the Executive Studies Program at Dartmouth College—Tuck School of Business. 

E-mail Vice Mayor Scott

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 Tom Campbell-Council Member

Tom Campbell was born and raised on a small farm in central California. He has lived in Benicia for the past 35 years, and currently operates an orthodontic practice in downtown Benicia.  Tom is actively involved in the local community including sponsoring numerous swimming, softball, soccer, little league and basketball teams.
 
Prior to being elected as a City Council Member in 1999, Mr. Campbell was a member of Benicia’s Planning Commission.  Additionally, Tom was one of the original members of S.W.I.M., a committee that focused on the community pool and enhancing related services.  He also served as the chairman of the Napa-Solano Dental Society Community Health Committee.
 
Tom’s educational background is extensive; he holds degrees in Chemistry, Law, Business, as well as a D.D.S from the University of California at Los Angeles.  He also has M.S. and Orthodontic degrees from Marquette University.

Tom also serves in the following committees:

  • Soltrans Joint Powers Authority
  • Sky Valley Area Open Span (Ad Hoc Committee)
  • Valero Citizens Advisory Committee (CAP) (Ad Hoc Committee)
  • Youth Action Coalition
  • School District Liaison

E-mail Council Member Campbell

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 Trevor Macenski-Council Member

Trevor Macenski (muh-sen-ski) is a native Californian, spending his childhood years in Huntington Beach, before relocating to the North Bay with his family. Landing in Novato Mr. Macenski attended Novato High School, then went to the College of Marin, before transferring to the University of California, Davis, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning. He then went on to study at The Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated with a Masters of Science degree in Environmental Policy.

 

After living in the Sacramento metro area for close to ten years, when deciding where to live and raise a family, Mr. Macenski and his wife Kimberly moved back to the Bay Area, fell in love with Benicia, and moved to town in 2013. They now have three children all who attend local schools and participate in community activities.

 

Since moving to town, Mr. Macenski has been an active member of Benicia, serving the community in many leadership positions on local boards and commissions including the Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Design Review Commission, Soltrans Community Advisory Board, and Valero Community Advisory Panel. In 2020, Mr. Macenski became the youngest elected City Council representative in recent documented history. 

 

In his professional life, Mr. Macenski is an Environmental and Urban Planner consultant with a focus on local, regional, and state government on the interface of community development and the natural environment. As an experienced environmental impact assessment practitioner and urban planner he advises clients on compliance and policy strategies under state and federal law. Having served as adjunct faculty at UC Davis, lecturing on environmental impact assessment methodologies, Mr. Macenski regularly provides informative presentations on environmental and urban planning topics to public agencies, private organizations, and educational institutions at all levels, frequently lecturing at the Association of Environmental Professionals and American Planning Association conferences. 

E-mail Council Member Macenski

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 Kari Birdseye-Council Member

Kari Birdseye was elected to serve on Benicia’s City Council in 2022. She began her service in Benicia city government in 2012 at the Benicia Human Services Board and was most recently the Chairperson of Benicia’s Planning Commission. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Solano County Fair Board Association and the Benicia-Vallejo Chapter of the American Association of University Women Executive Board.

 

She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. Kari is former CNN journalist, where she was part of a team that earned an Emmy Award for news coverage of the Olympic Park bombing in 1996.  

 

Kari and her husband James have raised their two kids, Julia and Joey, in Benicia, and have lived here since October 2000.  She has served as president of two local boards: Matthew Turner PTA and the Benicia Stingrays Swim Team. Kari works as a Senior Strategic Communications Manager at Natural Resources Defense Council. 

 

Kari represents the City of Benicia within the following bodies:


- Board of Directors, Marin Clean Energy

- Environmental Quality Policy Committee, League of California Cities

- Equity Working Group, Solano Transportation Authority

- Community Advisory Panel, Valero Benicia Refinery

 

Email Council Member Birdseye

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