Editor's note: Bob Underhill is a current Trustee and Deputy Mayor of Bronxville and is running for reelection on March 16, 2021

By Staff

Mar. 4, 2021: Bronxville Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Robert Stout Underhill, grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, but it seems like he was destined to live in Bronxville.

His great grandfather on his mother's side, William van Duzer Lawrence, founded Sarah Lawrence College in 1926 and Lawrence Hospital in 1909 and played a significant role in the development of Bronxville. His mother, Rebecca Jane Stout, grew up in Bronxville and married John Underhill at Christ Church Bronxville in 1953.

Bob came to Bronxville often during his youth to visit his grandmother and cousins. Still, it wasn't until he met Bronxville graduate Sarah Mollmon in 1983 through his Bronxville godfather, Andrew Hart, that his path to Bronxville began to unfold.

Bob and Sarah were living in Chicago when they met.  They were both in school at Northwestern University.  Bob was in the business school and Sarah was getting her masters in art history. They married in 1988, lived in Chicago, moved to London, and then finally to Bronxville in 1993. Their two children, Molly, 28, and Sam, 25, attended the Bronxville School through 8th grade , then Taft and on to college.

Bob, a finance and real estate professional, and Sarah immersed themselves in the Bronxville community. Bob served on the Board of Sarah Lawrence College for 12 years, became a Trustee of the Village in 2005, and then Deputy Mayor in 2011.

His real estate experience proved extremely helpful in guiding the village through two important projects in recent years - - the Villa BXV development and the refurbished Avalon parking lot. "These areas were both large eyesores," says Bob. There were also contamination issues with these sites that had to be remediated.

Most recently, Bob has been involved with the village's Police Community Relations Committee. In June of 2020, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order requiring local police agencies "to develop a plan that reinvents and modernizes police strategies and programs in their community based on community input." Bob chaired Bronxville's committee, which included representatives from the community. The committee recently completed their study and presented a plan.

Bob describes the study as a "deep dive" into the quality of Bronxville's police department. The overarching conclusion was that the village has a diverse and "very good force" and that the village should undertake this kind of review regularly. You can read the report here.

Bob is running for reelection as Trustee on March 16, 2021. When asked why he is running and what he enjoys most about his work as Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Bob says that it's the gratification he gets from completing various projects and, most importantly, "the people." He describes how great it is to get to know the police force, the people working in the DPW, and the great people in village hall and on the board. "It really gives you the feeling of having deep roots in the community." Deep roots, indeed.