Meet the Rye Recreation Commission and its Chair Rick McCabe
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Meet the Rye Recreation Commission and its Chair Rick McCabe.
Your Name: Rick McCabe
Board or Commission you chair: Rye Recreation Commission
Your role: Chair
What is the charter for your Board Commission?
McCabe:
- The Recreation Commission advises the City and Rye Recreation’s professional staff with regards to the regulation and use of recreation programs and facilities of the city, except as otherwise provided by the Council.
- It develops and recommends plans for future recreation programs and facilities and as well as reviewing and approving annual budget estimates and program/facility fees, prepared by the Superintendent of Recreation in consultation with the Commission, prior to the submission of such estimates to the City Manager.
- The eight-member commission, which meets monthly, is appointed by the Mayor with Council approval for three-year terms. The Chairman is designated by the Mayor.
Looking at 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
McCabe:
- The commission hopes to broaden access to sports and recreation programs for all Rye citizens – from preschoolers to seniors and everyone in between.
- The completion and opening of the refurbished, multi-sport Nursery Field on Milton Road.
- Continuing to upgrade and unlock the aesthetic and functional value of existing Rye Rec facilities as has recently been done at Rec Park on Midland Avenue and Disbrow Park (Grainger Field, Feeley Field, adjacent to Sterling Field and others).
- Listening to fellow citizens and user groups (for example, Rye Girls Softball, Rye Seniors and many others). Each monthly commission meeting agenda reserves time for fellow citizens hoping to contribute thoughts and ideas toward making Rye a more vibrant community.
Who is the City Council liaison to your Commission for 2025?
McCabe: Julie Souza
Tell us about the residents or others you interact with at your Commission.
McCabe: The Rec Commission mostly engages with citizens and interested groups with ideas, requests or input about current and future programming and facilities. Sometimes we hear from individual citizens; most often it’s the partner groups that use or program our facilities.
When was your Commission chartered by the City of Rye?
McCabe: The commission was chartered in 1964. Like the city’s other boards and commissions, our members have always been citizens with a strong interest in guiding the sports and lifestyle programs and facilities Rye is known for.
Looking back across 2024, what were your Commission’s top achievements?
McCabe:
- The approval and start of work on the refurbishment of Nursery Field.
- Partnering closely with citizens, the school district and sport user groups (Rye Youth Soccer, Rye Youth Lacrosse, etc.) to ensure the broadest access to our facilities and programs.
- Supporting the fantastic work of the Rye Rec professional staff in their management and expansion of top-tier sports and recreation offerings such as our popular summer camps, vibrant senior programming and cultural events like live music in the amphitheater.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
McCabe: Chair since January 2024 and on the commission since 2018.
Who appointed you to this position, and when?
McCabe: Mayor Josh appointed me to the Rec Commission in 2018 and as chair in January 2024.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
McCabe: All members of the commission are part-time volunteers.
What is your day job?
McCabe: I’ve spent my career working in corporate communications and public relations across sports, media and entertainment. My duties have ranged from global brand campaigns to crisis communications to speechwriting to executive communications to leveraging major sports events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl for blue chip companies like American Express and Johnson & Johnson. Most recently, I lead corporate communications at CBS.
How much time does your role require in a typical month?
McCabe: Approximately 10 hours.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
McCabe: I’d like to think they’d say, “Positive.”
Where did you grow up?
McCabe: Rye! My family moved here from the Bronx when I was seven. I’m a proud alum of Osborn and Rye Middle and High School.
What is your favorite unimportant thing about you?
McCabe: The first Rye Rec program I ever participated in was summer camp at Rec Park in 1980.
If the next five years is a chapter in your life, what is this chapter about?
McCabe: Beth and I have two sons at the Middle and High School who have both benefited tremendously from their time in youth sports and recreation programs. I hope being on the Rec Commission helps to ensure those opportunities continue and improve for many years to come.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
McCabe: We’ve lived in Hix Park for more than 12 years and I grew up in Rye (approx. 45 years overall).
Are your meetings recorded?
McCabe: No.
Are written agendas and written meeting minutes available?
McCabe: Yes, agendas and minutes are available here on the city website.
Thanks Rick!
Learn More:
Are meetings recorded?: No.
Are written agendas and meeting minutes available?: Yes.
Main Rye Recreation Commission on City website
Members of the Commission:
Rick McCabe, Chair 12-31-27 (term expires)
Lisa Dempsey 12-31-26
Kenneth Niejadlik 12-31-26
Linda Ritacco 12-31-26
Louis Rollano 12-31-25
Thomas Walsh 12-31-27
Kristan Watson 12-31-26
Shelley Wolfson 12-31-27
