Michael T. Bennett was elected to the Goleta City Council in 2006, and served as Mayor for the 2008 term. He is a long time resident of Goleta and is married with two adult children, two dogs and two cats. His 88-year-old mother lives nearby. He retired from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department as a Fire Battalion Chief after 36 years of service to the community.
Bennett served as both the Chair of the Southern Subregional Committee of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and as an alternate on SBCAG's Coastal Rail Coordinating Committee. He also served as President of the League of California Cities Channel Counties Division. In addition, he currently serves on the the following City committees: The Economic Development and Revitalization Committee, the Town and Gown Committee, the City Hall Needs Committee, and the Recreation Committee. Bennett is also on the following regional committees: The Foundation for Girsh Park Board, the Parks and Recreation Task Group, and the South Coast Affordable Housing Task Force.
Apart from the City Council, Bennett serves on the Board of Directors of the Goleta Valley Historical Society, Goleta Valley Beautiful, the Goleta Capital Campaigns for Girls Inc. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime since 1990 and served as the 1996-97 president. He has been honored with the Paul Harris Fellow award for his service to the community. He has been a member of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce since 1990, and in 2006 he was named Goleta’s Man of the Year.