Photo by James Sanna | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Boston’s Commissioner of Assessing Nicholas Ariniello is departing from City Hall after 20 years as the city defends itself from a lawsuit alleging unfair treatment of some commercial property owners.
Ariniello disclosed his pending departure in an email the day after city attorneys filed a response to allegations that the Assessing Department engaged in a pattern of raising assessments on properties seeking appeals through a state board.
Ariniello’s departure was first reported on X by Gintautas Dumcius, editor of MASSterList.
A Suffolk Superior Court judge this month ruled that attorneys for a Financial District office building owner can proceed with discovery in a civil lawsuit alleging retaliation against some property owners by the city’s assessing practices.
Judge Peter Krupp rejected city attorneys’ motion to dismiss, allowing discovery to proceed.
The lawsuit contends that the city raised assessments on dozens of property owners that submitted appeals to the state Appellate Tax Board (ATB). The city is facing budget pressures related to declining commercial tax revenues, reflecting the declining occupancy of office and lab buildings in recent years. Mayor Michelle Wu has unsuccessfully sought to shift a larger portion of tax collections onto the commercial sector to cushion increases in residential tax bills.
On May 21, city attorneys submitted their first detailed response to the allegations.
The plaintiffs, which are seeking to certify the lawsuit as a class action, say hand-written notes on assessors’ cards indicated the presence of an “ATB” dispute.
In their response, attorneys acknowledged that the physical assessors cards contain more detailed information on a property than the annual notice sent to property owners, which only contains the assessed value for the fiscal year.
They also acknowledged that taxpayers must request a copy of their property record card, and that third parties must pay a fee to obtain property record cards.
The plaintiff, owners of 148 State St., filed abatement applications with the city in fiscal 2024 and 2025, which were denied, and appealed its 2024 assessment to the ATB. The appeal remains pending.
City attorneys said they were “without sufficient information to admit or deny” allegations that other taxpayers were subject to similar practices.
In an email to staff obtained by MASSterList, Arieniello wrote that he was leaving “for a bit of rest and rejuvenation while I contemplate what comes next.”
His post will be filled by Hinlan Wong on an interim basis pending a search for a permanent replacement, according to the email.
“For more than twenty years, the city’s work throughout Boston neighborhoods has been shaped by Commissioner Ariniello’s deep care for our city, our residents, and our institutions, “Under his leadership, the assessing department has played a critical role in valuing properties fairly, processing thousands of exemption applications for our seniors and veterans, and funding critical city services,” city spokesperson Michael Osaghae said in a statement.
