Babylon Village trustee resigning, replacement to be appointed in September

A Babylon Village trustee is resigning from the board before finishing out her first full term due to a move out of state.

Robyn Silvestri will step down on Sept. 1, it was announced at a village board meeting on Tuesday. Silvestri, 52, was appointed to the board in June 2018 after trustee Debbie Basile resigned. Silvestri was elected in March 2019 for a four-year term.

Silvestri was not at the meeting but told Newsday she is resigning because her husband received a job promotion and must relocate to Florida.

“It’s with a heavy heart that I leave my position because I really enjoyed being a trustee for the village,” said Silvestri, who is executive director of the nonprofit Save the Great South Bay.

In announcing the resignation, Silvestri’s colleagues on the board praised her service to the community.

“I think lots of times it’s forgotten the work that goes into the jobs that we do,” said Mayor Mary Adams. “The love for our village is the reason why we do it and I think Robyn is an example of that, for the time that she has sacrificed to make things better here.”

Adams said after the meeting that the board will appoint someone to Silvestri’s seat in September for the remainder of the term. Trustees earn $7,500 per year.

Silvestri’s duties included being in charge of the village volunteer corps, the Conklin House and a new biking advisory committee Babylon formed in 2019, helping to bring the county’s bike share program to the village. Silvestri was also instrumental in establishing the Veterans Yoga Project in the village.

The mother of four said the move from Babylon, where she has lived for 21 years, is bittersweet.

“I just love the village,” she said. “If I had stayed in New York, I would have run for another term.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.