Questions by Stephen Golub… “Above and beyond the city’s post-Valero budget gap…”By Stephen Golub, Benicia resident and author, “Benicia and Beyond” column in the Benicia Herald, August 2, 2026Recently, City Council Member Terry Scott kindly took the time for an interview regarding his background, Benicia’s challenges/opportunities and (having first been elected in 2022) his recently launched campaign for reelection this November. Above all, this must be a collaboration between the City, community, Signature Development Group, and the landowner, Valero Energy Corp. We must grow, but grow in a way that ties people in, not off to the sideOne aspect of your City Council work involves Benicia’s roles and integration in regional planning, projects and policies. As Benicians may or may not realize, serving on the City Council involves a lot of work with very little compensation. Working with them and with city staff to solve those problems is real work, too.