Goleta City Councilwoman Margaret Connell announced Wednesday morning that she will not seek re-election to the Goleta City Council in the November election.

“This coming December, my current term on the Goleta City Council will be over,” Connell said in a statement sent to Noozhawk. “I am announcing formally today that I will not be a candidate for re-election this November.

“It has been my privilege and honor to serve for a total of almost eight years as a councilmember and two times as mayor of the Goleta City Council. I am extremely grateful to the citizens of Goleta for entrusting me with the responsibility of helping shape our new city.”

Connell was instrumental in Goleta’s move toward cityhood in the early part of the decade. Goleta celebrated its 10-year anniversary earlier this year, and Connell recalled the buzz after residents learned they had achieved cityhood after three previous attempts.

“The energy was pretty high,” she told Noozhawk. 

She became the city’s first mayor, recruiting a friend to take minutes as the young city began to hold its first meetings in the auditorium of the Goleta Valley Community Center in Old Town.

Connell went on to serve on the council until 2006 and was re-elected in 2007. She served as mayor a second time from December 2010 to December 2011.

Councilman Michael Bennett said he’s looking forward to Connell continuing her work in the community.

“It’s a been a joy to working with her,” he said. “I find her to be inspirational and educational, and I think we’ve done some great things for the city.”

— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.