MEET ROBERT
Robert was unanimously appointed to the Cortlandt Town Board in February 2022. Prior to this appointment, he served as a Lakeland Board of Education Trustee, being first elected in 2018. While on the Board of Education, Robert advocated for modernized curriculum, fought for overdue upgrades to district facilities, and was the district’s most outspoken proponent for diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic he twice voted for a 0% tax increase and was the sole board member on Lakeland’s District Re-Entry Team.
A fifth-generation Cortlandt resident, Robert’s family first immigrated to Cortlandt in 1905. His great grandfather, Joseph Yafcak, was instrumental in the founding of the Village of Buchanan and was elected as one of its first Village Trustees. Robert grew up in Cortlandt Manor and attended Lakeland Schools. He earned a BA in Criminal Justice, magna cum laude, from the University at Albany and graduated from the University of Florida School of Law. Robert, his wife Jessica, and their two children currently reside in the Crompond area of the Town.
As an attorney, Robert has worked for both state and local government and previously served for more than a decade as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County. In the District Attorney’s Office, Robert specialized in the investigation and prosecution of white-collar crime, was chief of the Environmental Crimes Unit, and developed a series of internet safety lectures that were presented to middle and high school students throughout the county.
Robert has served on Cortlandt’s Planning Board and the North Cortlandt Vision Committee. He was on the Board of Directors of CLUSTER Community Services, a non-profit organization providing mental health, housing, mediation, and youth & family services. He also has served on the Board of Directors for the Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Foundation, a non-profit organization benefiting New York State’s only public school district that exclusively educates hospitalized children. He has been a member of the executive board of Cortlandt American Little League, is currently a Cub Scout Den Leader, and is a past vice-president of the Lincoln-Titus Elementary School PTA.
Robert is running to continue on the Town Council because he has a deep-rooted connection to this community, as well as a comprehensive understanding of where Cortlandt has been, where it is now, and where it can go. He looks forward to applying this knowledge to help Cortlandt continue to thrive as a family-oriented community.
“As a Cortlandt native, I was humbled and honored to be unanimously appointed to the Town Board. I am running to keep this seat because I believe my strong track record of pragmatic advocacy for our community makes me best suited to help Cortlandt continue to thrive as a family-oriented community.”
