In our Meet the Boards & Commissions series, MyRye.com will introduce readers to the boards and commissions of the City of Rye and the residents who run them. All volunteers, these residents give their time and expertise to keep our city running. The series is intended to bring visibility to what each board and commission does, its priorities and what might prompt a resident or another person or company to interact with the group.
We have made our best efforts to reach out to each board and commission chairperson directly or via City officials. If you are a board or commission chair and have not been contacted, or if you are a reader with feedback on this series, please get in touch with MyRye.com.
Meet the Board of Assessment Review and its Chair Caroline Gadaleta.
Your Name: Caroline Gadaleta
Board or Commission: Board of Assessment Review
Your role: Chair
MyRye.com: What is the charter for your Board?
Gadaleta:
- The Board of Assessment Review is responsible for hearing and reviewing tax assessment grievances submitted in June of each year.
- The City of Rye tax assessor makes recommendations which we then consider and either affirm, reject or revise.
- We meet as a group for an open forum on Grievance Day in June at City Hall which is the due date for property owners to submit their application.
Looking at 2026, what will be your top initiatives?
Gadaleta:
- Our remit does not change much from year to year – it’s really about ensuring we have access to the most up to date information with regard to property sales and values.
- We are also focused on educating property owners about the grievance process. We encourage people to attend Grievance Day on June 16th, 2026 which allows more of a dialogue than the straight-to-application process.
Would you be supportive of your meetings being broadcast and recorded by the City for public viewing?
Gadaleta: Grievance Day is open to the public. It is already voice-recorded so I am not opposed to video.
Are written agendas and written meeting minutes available?
Gadaleta: A record of all decisions on grievances each year is maintained by the assessor’s office.
Are your meetings currently recorded?
Gadaleta: No.
What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)?
Gadaleta: We have found that there is an inverse relationship between overall value increases/decreases and the number of applications. So for example in a “down” market, we receive infinitely more applications (such as after the 2008/9 financial meltdown).
Who is the City Council liaison to your Board for 2026?
Gadaleta: No idea.
Tell us about the residents or others you interact with at your Board.
Gadaleta: On Grievance Day, residents are invited to review and present their grievance applications before the board at City Hall. We as a board enjoy these more personalized opportunities to review particular properties and grievances. Hearing the facts directly from the property owner does add value to the process. We look forward to these conversations each year.
When was your board chartered by the City of Rye?
Gadaleta: The composition of the BAR and a description of the BAR’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the city charter. Our jurisdiction is set forth under state law. We each receive training and certification from Westchester County every three years.
Looking back across 2025, what were your board’s top achievements?
Gadaleta:
- We can’t speak about individual properties but I can say that the challenging grievances have to do with hybrid properties or situations in town where there is either precedent or precedent would be created for other municipalities. We are very careful and consult with our corporation counsel regularly when we have questions.
- 2025 was an average year for us. With values skyrocketing in Rye we need to carefully consider each case to ensure individual assessments are not outliers.
- We believe we achieve fair decisions every year.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Gadaleta: I have been on the board since 2009; I have been chair for more than 10 years.
Who appointed you to this position, and what year were you appointed?
Gadaleta: I was appointed by Mayor Doug French at the suggestion of City Councilman Joseph Sack.
Besides yourself, who is the longest serving person on your board?
Gadaleta: Robert Byrne.
When does your current appointed term expire?
Gadaleta: 2029
What is your day job?
Gadaleta: I am the Head of Property Management for Jones Lang LaSalle, a large commercial real estate services company with over 110,000 employees, in the tri-state and greater Philadelphia regions. I oversee a team of 370 people across a 35 million square foot portfolio. I’m a real estate junky and have lived in Rye for most of my life. I greatly enjoy discussing the properties that come before us each year! In my spare time I write on LinkedIn and published a book called Feed Your Future, Morsels on Building a Meaningful Career, in 2022. I am currently working on my second book.
How much time does your role require in a typical month?
Gadaleta: Our work starts in June and ends in September. We meet every few weeks during that period for 2-3 hours at a time. In between we often have conversations with various city employees.
If I took you to Jerry’s or Oakland Beach Deli for lunch this week, what would you order?
Gadaleta: Turkey on a roll with mayo, lettuce and tomato and a bottle of diet coke.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Gadaleta: I grew up in Indian Village and now live near Disbrow Park – I have lived here for all but about 11 years of my life. My husband and I graduated from Rye High School, as did our children.
Thanks Caroline!
Learn More:
Main Board of Assessment Review page on City website
Assessor Office page on City website
LinkedIn
Members of the Board of Assessment Review:
Caroline Mosher Gadaleta, Chair 9-30-29 (term expires)
Robert Byrne 9-30-26
Rick Cox 9-30-26
Howard Husock 9-30-27
Matthew Fahey 9-30-28
