Bench Dedication Ceremony in Memory of

Michele Casandra, Pelham Town Assessor 1989-2021

“Her Love for the Community, and Dedication

as Assessor, was Unparalleled”

On Tuesday Jan 10^th a large gathering of friends, family, coworkers, and other members of the community came together to celebrate Michele Casandra, the Assessor of the Town of Pelham from 1989 until her retirement in December of 2019. The celebration centered around the dedication of a bench and plaque in her memory, on the grounds of Pelham Town Hall.

Town Supervisor Dan McLaughlin was the first to speak. Dan recounted the great working relationship he had with Michele, and how dedicated and knowledgeable she was. He spoke of some of her accomplishments, of which there were many. He explained how Michele was the key driving force in completing the Town wide revaluation in 1998, when Pelham became the first town in Westchester to bring all property assessments to 100% of full market value.

Dan pointed out that in 2017, Michele received the Robert Osias Professionalism Award at the NYS Assessors’ Conference in Lake Placid. Michele was the first, and only assessor from Westchester County to receive this award.

Dan completed his turn at the podium by explaining that when Michele decided to retire, she worked so closely and tirelessly with him and the Town Board to make sure that a successor would be trained and ready to take the reins from her. She made his responsibility to the Town much easier during that difficult process.

Former Town Supervisor Joe Solimine spoke next, reiterating Dan McLaughlin’s sentiments. Joe made things a little less somber when he joked about her vast knowledge, saying “not only did Michele know every house, and who owned the house, but she even knew who owned the house before them.”

Michele’s daughter Debora followed, speaking glowingly of her mother. Her husband Joseph Livorsi was by her side, both having travelled up from Florida for this special occasion. Michele’s son Stefano was unable to attend, but his wife Tera Casandra was there, as was Michele’s brother, Manuel Vittori and his wife Davida, and Michele’s three grandchildren, Alessio, Aurelia and Matteo Casandra.

Harry Girdlestone spoke next, and he did so with such eloquence and sincerity. Harry worked for the NYS Department of Taxations’ Property Tax Division in Westchester, and was their liaison with Pelham for the massive undertaking of the 1998 revaluation. He remembered telling Michele and the Pelham Town Board just how difficult and expensive this project would be, and he asked Michele if she was sure she could handle so much responsibility. She answered him quickly “Yes, we HAVE to do this.”

Last to speak was Michele’s protégé and current Assessor Joe Battaglia. He summed up the impact Michele had on people when he said that “though I knew Michele for a shorter time than almost everyone in attendance, she will end up having been one of the most important people in my life”.

Dan McLaughlin then invited everyone to come inside Town hall for food and refreshments. What started as a somber event ended up being a truly beautiful and love filled occasion. Thank you to all.

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by the Town of Pelham. The Pelham Examiner publishes announcements in the form received as a service to the community.