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 Ethics and its Chair Beth Griffin Matthews.
Your Name: Beth Griffin Matthews
Board or Commission: Board of Ethics
Your role: Chair
MyRye.com: What is the charter for your Board?
Matthews: The Board of Ethics renders advisory opinions on specific situations to officers and employees of the City with respect to the City’s Code of Ethics. The opinions are rendered pursuant to the written request of any officer or employee.
The Board consists of the City Manager, Corporation Counsel and three public members appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council. Public members serve three-year terms and the Chair is elected from among the public members.
Looking at 2026, what will be your top initiatives?
Matthews: The Board of Ethics does not take initiatives. It is responsive to requests made by officers and employees of the City.
Would you be supportive of your meetings being broadcast and recorded by the City for public viewing?
Matthews: Our discussions generally take place in executive session, so broadcast would not be appropriate.
Are written agendas and written meeting minutes available?
Matthews: Minutes are generally available.
Are your meetings currently recorded?
Matthews: No.
What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)?
Matthews: We aim to render thoughtful, timely advisory opinions.
Who is the City Council liaison to your Board for 2026?
Matthews: There is no City Council liaison to the Board of Ethics.
Tell us about the residents or others you interact with at your Board.
Matthews: Because the Board is established to render advisory opinions to officers and employees of the City and does so at the request of officers and employees of the City, the Board does not interact with residents.
When was your Board chartered by the City of Rye?
Matthews: The Board of Ethics was established in 1966 when the Code of Ethics was adopted. The 16-point Code begins with this “declaration of policy”:
“The proper operation of the City government requires that its officers and employees be independent, impartial and responsible to the people; that government decisions and policy be made in the proper channels of the governmental structure; that public office not be used for personal gain; that public officers and employees observe in their official acts the highest standards of morality and discharge faithfully the duties of their office regardless of personal consideration; and that the public have confidence in the integrity of its government and the officers and employees thereof.”
The Code has been amended several times, most recently in 2013.
Looking back across 2025, what were your board’s top achievements?
Matthews: The Board of Ethics did not issue any opinions in 2025. We responded to a city official’s request for additional information on an issue from an earlier year.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Matthews: I was appointed to the Board of Ethics in 1999 by then-Mayor Steve Otis and have been reappointed by Democrat, Republican and Independent Mayors. I have served as Chair during the past decade.
Besides yourself, who is the longest serving person on your board?
Matthews: Ted Livingston is in his third year on the Board. Bill Henderson is our newest member. The Board has been enriched by the participation in recent years by Ted Stein and former Mayor Ted Dunn, as well as the invaluable assistance of Corporation Counsel Kristen Wilson and City Managers Brian Shea and Greg Usry.
When does your current appointed term expire?
Matthews: My three-year term expires at the end of 2028.
What is your day job?
Matthews: I am semi-retired from a rewarding career as a freelance writer and journalist.
How much time does your role require in a typical month?
Matthews: The Board of Ethics meets only as needed, when asked to render an advisory opinion. In some years, we do not meet at all, however when we are working on an opinion, we are fully engaged for as long as it takes, especially if the request is time-sensitive. The members of the Board work well together and are dedicated to providing thoughtful, considered advisory opinions.
If I took you to Jerry’s or Oakland Beach Deli for lunch this week, what would you order?
Matthews: Chicken salad on rye, with lettuce and tomato, please.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Matthews: My husband and I are fortunate to live in the Lea Place house where I grew up and where we raised our children.
Thanks Beth!
Learn More:
2025 Profile
Main Board of Ethics page on the City website
Members of the Board of Ethics:
Ted Livingston 12-31-27 (term expires)
Elizabeth Griffin Matthews 12-31-28
Bill Henderson 12-31-28
City Manager Brian Shea ex-officio
Corporation Counsel Kristen Wilson ex-officio
