Appointments pave way for tax abatement work

Date: 4/4/2012

April 4, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD — With a recent mayoral appointment and two Town Council approvals, for the first time in 11 years, the West Springfield Board of Assessors has a full complement of members.

On March 27, Mayor Gregory Neffinger announced that he had selected Lauren J. Elliott of Longmeadow to serve as the town's principal assessor. Elliott, who was sworn in that morning, replaces former principal assessor Christopher Keefe, who was terminated on Feb. 8 over questions about his handling of tax abatements for the town's social clubs.

In addition to Neffinger's appointment, at its March 19 meeting, the Town Council approved the mayor's request to appoint Hans Doup and Stella E. Kalamarakis as members of the Board of Assessors.

Neffinger noted that under provisions of the Charter, the Board of Assessors has always been required to have three members — "not up to three" as had been the case in recent years.

"I've been [in office] for two months and we have fulfilled the charter," Neffinger noted, adding that now that the Assessor's Office and Board of Assessors were both fully staffed, these agencies could give prompt attention to the processing of tax abatements for residents.

Human Resource Director Sandra MacFadyen told Reminder Publications Elliott was one of only two candidates selected from "multiple applications" to be interviewed for the assessor's position.

"We had a very nice time talking about the issues in West Springfield and our unique challenges," Neffinger said of Elliott's interview. "We found her very knowledgeable and able to answer [our] questions very quickly."

Neffinger said Elliott comes to West Springfield with "twenty-five years of experience in all aspects of assessing, procedures and understanding Massachusetts General Laws," adding that her experience also includes having served as an assessor for the towns of Cannan, Salisbury and Goshen, Conn., as well as Portsmouth N. H.

For the past decade Elliott has been a lawyer in private practice, licensed by the Massachusetts Bar since 2002. Her specialty has been tax law.

Neffinger said he felt Elliott's level of expertise was key in the decision to select her for the principal assessor's position, as that office is one of the "most visible" in the town.

"It's important to have a face there that is friendly, that is knowledgeable, and that has the information residents need," he said.

Elliott said she was with the firm of Fitzgerald, O'Brien and Robin of Longmeadow until several members left to take positions in the Hampden County District Attorney's Office. She formed her own business, New England Property Tax Group, LLC, also of Longmeadow, in 2010.

"I was what you call your tax representative," Elliott said, explaining that in her law practice, she represented taxpayers in complaints before the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

Soon to be 50 years old — she joked that her birthday is April 15, "tax day" — Elliot holds a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College and a juris doctorate from Western New England University School of Law. Her starting salary in her new position is listed as $69,878.