Committee Assignments: Court Facilities (Chair), Law and Public Safety

Prior Committee Assignments: Public Safety and Court Facilities

Robert J. Beston, was appointed on June 11, 2001 to fill a vacancy and won the election the following November to serve the remaining two years in the term, representing residents of the 16th Legislative District and since the 2010 re-districting, he represents the 15th Legislative District.

Bob has been instrumental in passage of resolutions to finance the enhancement of services to the senior population, expand public access to computer and Internet services through a library technology grant program, support improvements to the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail and restore funds to continue the Project STRIVE program providing preventive services to at-risk families and children in Watervliet and northeastern Albany County.

He has been employed full-time since 1998 by Siena College in the Plant Operations Division of plumbing and heating. Previously, he owned and operated Densmore's, a grocery/delicatessen on Cohoes Road in Watervliet for 12 years and established a catering service and video store.

Bob was a policeman for the Watervliet Police Department from 1963 through 1986, assigned to traffic and accident investigations and, early in his law enforcement career, to a pre-DARE program educating youngsters about the hazards of drug use. During this period, he also owned and operated part-time an auto body shop for 18 years.

Bob and his wife, Sandra, are the parents of three children: Tina, Lori and Robert Jr.