Patch Candidate Profile 2023: George Pappas For Cortlandt Town Board

CORTLANDT, NY — The town of Cortlandt will be going to the polls to elect a supervisor and two members for the town board.

George Pappas, 55, of Cortlandt Manor, is running for the Cortlandt town board on the Republican and Concerned Taxpayers party lines. Also on the ballot will be incumbent Democrat Robert E. Mayes, Democrat Joyce C. White and Republican Ryan Mulcahy.

Pappas, who is running for officer for the first time, has worked for the same company for more than 28 years. His current position is vice president of sales.

He is married and has three children.

Campaign website: www.PappasforCortlandt.com

To help the public get to know the candidates for Cortlandt Town Board, Patch sent them the same set of questions. Here are Pappas’s responses.

Why are you seeking this office?

I feel we need some change, and balance, in our local government.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

I am just a regular guy that cares about what happens in our town and the residents that live here. I am not a politician and have no aspiration to build a political career. Again, just someone who cares about the community. My years in the corporate world will help in making good decisions for our town. Plus, as I’ve been telling residents as we campaign across Cortlandt, I am an open book. I welcome everyone to reach out with questions and concerns. When elected to the town board my responsibility, and obligation, is to the voters that put me there.

What is the single most pressing issue facing your constituents and what do you intend to do about it?

One of the issues people have been complaining about is the development that is going on in our town. Bringing in more and more high-density housing units (such as the MOD on Rt 202) is frustrating constituents. We do not have the infrastructure and resources to support all this. Traffic has increased significantly and will only get worse. With the addition of more and more people, that will put a burden on the few resource officers that patrol our town not to mention the school districts. My goal would be to help control some of these projects that are helping us lose the character of Cortlandt which people are accustomed to.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Overdevelopment seems to be top of mind for the residents but other issues I’ve heard during the campaign are safety concerns, as mentioned, the traffic issues, transparency in our local government is also critical, maintaining reasonable taxes, developing more business for incremental tax revenues and another topic that people are interested in is term limits. Many residents do not like career politicians that stay in power for 20-30 years. I’ve also heard the traditional stuff on the campaign trail such as lack of paved roads, lack of tree trimming on town-owned land, street lights, sewers, etc.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I would say my career at my current company. I’m a loyalist. Many people jump from job to job but I’ve been employed for over 28 years at one company. Started there in May 1995 as an account executive and now basically run the entire sales team as VP of sales. When I first started, we were a $10 million company and in 2020 we surpassed the $100 million mark. In addition to managing a sales team, I also helped our company develop key alliances to assist in our growth.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The best advice was not a phrase, or caption, someone told me, it was more growing up and watching my father lead by example. He always worked hard to support his family and he did so ethically and successfully. So that trait funneled down to me. In both my personal life, and professional life, I strive to be the best man I can be to support my family and do so in the right way. That same tenacity would trickle down to the residents of Cortlandt. I would work hard and always do what is right for them.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Just that I am an open and honest person that will work hard for them. I’ve lived in Cortlandt for 24 years and have developed many friends and acquaintances during that time. When my children were younger, both my wife Susan and I volunteered our time to coach their various town sports, and between that time, and their school's activities, we made many friends and it helped us create a bond with the community.

Editor's note: The candidate's responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.