2 Vacancies On Beacon's Assessment Review Board; 3 of 5 Members Are Realtors; Mayor Set To Reappoint Realtor Tonight
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Two vacancies have opened on one of the most important boards in the City of Beacon that impacts property owners and their potential property taxes: the Board of Assessment Review. A well publicized open call for those vacancies has not been made by the City of Beacon, and it was not declared who was not returning to the board. A reappointment of a board member whose is a realtor, the profession of which is a debatable conflict of interest and is discussed in guidance provided by New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance, is on the table for an appointment by Mayor Kyriacou at tonight’s City Council Meeting, which will be passed by the Mayor if there is no objection from City Council.
According to the presentation made by Ben Swanson at last week’s Workshop Meeting, there are 2 appointees up, one of whom is on the board already. Ben stated: “Michele Rios [of Berkshire Hathaway] has served 2 terms. This would be her 3rd term. She has been on the board 10 years starting in 2014. She has a long real estate career as a licensed agent and broker spanning 20 years or thereabouts. So, she has a a great background for this board.”
Ben continued with the second appointee, David Ross: “David has a distinguished career in fine arts management. He's worked throughout the country in executive administrative roles with various art institutions. We think he's a very impressive candidate and he's willing to spend the time on this board as well. We're excited to bring his application to your attention as well.”
What Does The Board Of Assessment Review Do?
Mayor Kyriacou explained during last week’s 9/29/2025 City Council Workshop that the Board of Assessment Review “is one of the three statutory required ones [Boards]: The Planning Board, the Zoning Board, and the Board of Assessment Review.”
He continued: “Their job is is mostly focused around May when you have the new assessments come out and there's a grievance process and they will hear grievances. That's the non-litigation process that the City does. And then if it ever goes past that, it goes past it. But their job is primarily in that month of May. And I'm just appreciative that we've got people willing to do it.”
When people challenge their assessments to commercial or residential property and win, the City of Beacon will at times pay them back the difference. Property assessments are based on many factors, including related “comps,” which are the most recent prices of properties sold near the property in question. With the hot market in Beacon, having bidding wars is common, as well as offers of cash coming to disrupt a buying process. Some realtors are more aggressive than others at navigating this phase which can result in driving up property prices.
The Board has 5 positions on it, and 3 of them are realtors.
Who Else Is On The Board?
According to a screenshot taken by the WayBack Machine, a public database of years of archived screenshots, the realtor Ron Donofrio was the fifth name on the Assessment Review Board that has been removed. Ron was appointed in October 2020 for a 5 year term.
It was announced that there were 2 vacancies on this board. However, it was not disclosed as to who was stepping off the board, or whose term was ending or up for reappointment. Last week, A Little Beacon Blog emailed Mayor Kyriacou, his secretary Ben, and Council Member Molly Rhodes asking who was leaving the board, but none of them responded.
Ron Donofrio is also listed at the Highlands Current website as a current Assessment Review Board Member with the current City Council as of October 2025.
Checking the Board of Assessment Review page today Monday, there are 4 names listed. Prior, there were 5 names listed. According to the WayBackMachine, as of May 15, 2025, Ron Donofrio was the 5th name that is no longer listed on the City of Beacon’s website as of today. Ron is a realtor in Beacon and was appointed on October 19, 2020 by Mayor Kyriacou.
Other Board Members include:
John Stella, Board Chair
According to a memorandum presented by Ben, Secretary to the Mayor, on December 14, 2022 in favor of John Stella's reappointment, John "retired from IBM and then worked as a Realtor in the area. John spent the past 15 years on the Board of Assessment Review, 12 of which were as Chair. He also served as Chair to the City's Parking and Traffic Safety Committee for 14 years. Additionally, he served as Vice President of the Beacon Board of Education. He also served as an Volunteer Firefighter for 60 years "and is now exempt," according to the memorandum.
John Berry
According to a memorandum presented by Ben, Secretary to the Mayor, on January 3, 2024 in favor of John Berry's reappointment: “Mr. Berry is a resident of the City of Beacon and is currently retired. He has a lengthy background of community service to Beacon, specifically in previously having served as a pack leader for a local Boy Scout Troop, previously having served as Chair of the Beacon Democratic Committee, running for Mayor in 2003, and by currently continuing his long-standing service on Beacon’s Board of Assessment Review.”
Robert Palisi
Robert Palisi’s memorandum for recommendation cannot be found online at this moment, but he was recognized as the Grand Marshall of the Parade of Green in 2023. According to his Grand Marshall recognition, Robert is a lifelong resident of the City of Beacon who started his career at Shaw Motors (then became Healey) with his father. He then worked for Ward's Auto Body, and then Secor Auto Body. In 1979, he started his own family business, Palisi Auto Body & Auto Glass on Main Street in Beacon, which moved to a "newly constructed state-of-the-art auto body shop on West Main Street," in 1984 says the parade flyer.
"Bobby is also a partner in Fulton Avenue Realty Restoration Company, which over the last 28 years, has done a multitude of building renovations and constructed several new houses in and around the City of Beacon."
Michele Rios
Michele Rios is a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway. When this article surfaced, encouraging the City Council to pause her reappointment in order to reconsider having realtors on the board, Michele responded via Facebook Comments with insults and a threat to ALBB.
She also stated that there were 2 realtors on the board. However, there were 3 realtors on the Board, when Ron Donofrio was within his term, which may have ended October 2025.
Comments Of Interest
The Assessment Review Board is one where people in the community must appeal to fellow members of the community for financial matters. Fear of retaliation should not be a factor, but for some is.
To show an example of character, the comments of the language and logic used by this board member up for reappointment are below in the order of their publishing:
According to the bios presented above, there were 3 realtors on Beacon’s 5-member Board of Assessment Review as of this year: John Stella (Chair), Ron Donofrio, and Michele Rios.
Questions Raised From These Proposed Appointments
Should realtors be on the Assessment Review Board?
Should Beacon have a Board to hear grievances about realtors in the buying/selling process in residential or commercial property transactions?
According to Guidance provided by the New York State’s Department of Taxation and Finance, the issue of real estate agents or brokers being on assessment review boards is taken into consideration as a potential conflict of interest. While it does not prohibit it, the guidance does suggest a ratio of 1 to 3.
“Section 1524 specifically requires that persons appointed by the legislative body of a local government to the board of assessment review have a knowledge of property values in the local jurisdiction. In most instances, a real estate broker would certainly meet this requirement. It has been and continues to be the opinion of this office that there is no incompatibility arising from the appointment of 1 real estate broker to a 3 member or assessment review.
“The obvious intent of section 1524 is to provide property owners with an opportunity to obtain an independent review of their assessments by a body which did not participate in the assessment in the first instance and which consists of members knowledgeable in real property values. However, care should be taken with respect to the overall balance in the composition of the board of assessment review.”
How To Voice Your Opinion About A Mayor’s Appointment
While the Mayor makes an appointment, the City Council must support it. If they do not, then more consideration is given. To make sure your voice is heard or seen, email each City Council Member and the Mayor. One should not fear retaliation if they are a commercial or residential property owner.
MOLLY RHODES
Councilmember, Ward One
Pronouns: she, her, hers
mrhodes@beaconny.gov
JEFFREY DOMANSKI
Councilmember, Ward Two
Pronouns: he, him, his
jdomanski@beaconny.gov
PAM WETHERBEE
Councilmember, Ward Three
pwetherbee@beaconny.gov
GEORGE MANSFIELD
Councilmember, Ward Four
gmansfield@beaconny.gov
AMBER GRANT
Councilmember, At-Large
Pronouns: she, her, hers
agrant@beaconny.gov
PALOMA WAKE
Councilmember, At-Large
Pronouns: she, her, hers
pwake@beaconny.gov
Lee Kyriacou, Mayor
mayor@beaconny.gov
Ben Swanson, Secretary to the City Mayor
cityofbeacon@beaconny.gov
