Meet Your City Council Members

---

 

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 Master 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. 

 

Trevor currently serves as a Board member on the following agencies:

• Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
• Community Action Partnership (CAP) Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP SOLANO)
• League of California Cities
• North Study Board

E-mail Vice Mayor Macenski

---

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 a 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 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Benicia Stingrays Swim Team. Kari works as a Regional Media Director at Natural Resources Defense Council. 

 

Kari also currently serves as a Board member on the following agencies:

• Green Empowerment Zone
• League of California Cities, 2^nd Vice President, North Bay.
• Marin Clean Energy
• Valero Benicia Refinery, Community Advisory Panel

Email Council Member Birdseye

---

Elected to the Benicia City Council for the second time in 2024, Lionel Largaespada is a proud family man, community volunteer, and advocate for Benicia’s residents and small businesses.

 

Largaespada’s commitment to community service extends beyond his council duties. He has served on the boards of the Benicia Chamber of Commerce, Benicia Community Action Council, and Benicia Main Street. He continues to actively support and volunteer with local organizations, including Benicians Adopting Benicia, Benicia Grad Night, Benicia Litter Pickers, Benicia Reads, Benicia Peddlers Fair, the Tim & Jeannie Hamann Foundation, and the Kyle Hyland Foundation/Benicia Teen Center.

 

Lionel, his wife Jennifer, and daughters Graciela and Viviana have called Benicia home since 2005. His family ties run deep within our community with his stepmother, brother, two sisters, cousin, along with 14 nephews and nieces also proudly calling Benicia home.

 

A proud son of Latino immigrants, he holds a degree in Government, minoring in Philosophy, from Saint Mary’s College and a Master’s Degree in Mass Communications from Boston University. Professionally, he serves as the director of marketing and business development for F3 & Associates, a Benicia-based land surveying firm.

Email Council Member Largaespada

---

Terry Scott was elected to City Council in November 2022. He is a 12-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. Terry serves as the re-elected chair of SolTrans and sits on the STA 2030 subcommittee.

 

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