Boston Assessing Commissioner Nicholas Ariniello will be leaving his position in July after 7 years in that job and 20 years in the assessing department. He announced his move in an email to colleagues last Friday (May 22) just as residential home valuations have become big news in the neighborhood and a commercial landlord valuation lawsuit was allowed to move forward this month.
According to the email, which was first reported by Gin Dumcius of MASSterList, Hinlan Wong will “step up” and take on the role of interim commissioner in July while the city searches for a permanent commissioner.
“I’m writing to let you know that after 20 exhilarating and transformative years with the department, I’ve decided to take my leave for a bit of rest and rejuvenation while I contemplate what comes next,” Ariniello wrote in a Department Update Friday afternoon that was obtained by The Reporter.
He testified before the City Council on Tuesday about his department’s city budget request and confirmed his resigning decision to councillors.
The Mayor’s Office did not have any immediate comment when asked about the departure but noted that it planned to issue a statement soon.
The commissioner’s notice on Friday detailed the work done by the department during his tenure.
“We’ve worked together to value hundreds of thousands of properties worth billions of dollars, process thousands of exemption applications for our seniors and veterans, process tens of thousands of residential exemption applications for our residents, and thousands of abatement applications ensuring that we are being fair to everyone and correcting our mistakes,” he wrote.
“The work that we do is instrumental to the City achieving and maintaining triple A bond ratings these past seven years, a milestone we hit this year while other governments across the country are facing downgrades.”
Ariniello’s department had been under the microscope at the City Council over the last few years, particularly in Dorchester and Mattapan, where property tax valuations have increased substantially – driving up tax bills in the process.
That was particularly true in Savin Hill, with frustration at the point where Ariniello appeared at a Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association (CSHCA) meeting in 2025 to answer questions.
Earlier this month, the office took a hit when a Suffolk Superior Court judge allowed to move forward a suit filed by commercial landlords who claimed the city had inflated their values artificially. The city has contended the case was without merit. It will continue through the legal process now, but without Ariniello at the helm for the city.
