2025 Community Leader of the Year: Toqui Terchun

When crisis strikes or voices feel diminished, sometimes all it takes is a community champion who is willing to stand up, demand answers and make sure the voices of those who feel ignored are heard. For the Calverton community, that champion is Toqui Terchun.

In the aftermath of the devastating blaze at Crown Recycling, questions circulated on the potential impacts on the area’s water and air quality. At the same time, residents dealt with an overwhelming odor reeking through their neighborhood from large mulch piles of unknown debris dumped at the former Warner Nursery property on Youngs Avenue by Patriot Recycling.

An array of health problems came with the smell, including complaints of headaches and nosebleeds. One man had to take his granddaughter with cystic fibrosis to the hospital for treatments. With each truck passing by or pile dumped, dust filled the air, and unpredictable winds kicked everything up even more.

As the Greater Calverton Civic Association president, Ms. Terchun banded together with several residents to alert Riverhead Town officials of these severe health concerns, environmental worries and traffic frustrations burdening the rural hamlet.

She compiled photos from residents to submit to the state Department of Environmental Conservation and submitted dozens of FOIL requests for information. She pressed town officials for status updates and cleanup timelines. 

Six days before the Crown Recycling fire occurred, the civic president submitted a letter to the Riverhead Town Board to draw awareness to the “life-safety issue” residents were experiencing with the consistent Youngs Avenue traffic. Her persistence influenced the town to take quick action on implementing “No Parking” and “No Idling” signs on Youngs Avenue, restricting truck traffic from blocking the road. 

Eventually, the town forced Patriot Recycling to remove 6,210 cubic yards of debris from the property. Last month, the owner pleaded guilty and paid a $5,630 fine for town code violations. 

Ms. Terchun would sit in Riverhead Town Justice Court for hours at Patriot Recycling’s court appearances. At one of the hearings, Judge Lori Hulse made note of the pile of paperwork presented to her, which consisted of letters Ms. Terchun and a group of concerned residents put together. 

The Greater Calverton Civic Association’s mission is simply to “make people’s lives better,” she said in a recent interview. She holds monthly meetings to get public input, collaborates with multiple other civic association leaders to promote change in Riverhead and regularly sits down with town officials. 

In addition, she serves on several local boards such as the North Fork Environmental Council and the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board. 

In their continuous battles for open space preservation, clean water and environmental conservation and against encroaching industrial development, Calverton residents can rely on Ms. Terchun to be their advocate. 

When Ms. Terchun stepped up as Greater Calverton Civic president nearly eight years ago, many area civic associations were struggling with membership retention. Her colleagues said she has transformed the organization entirely since taking on the role. 

“She has made some really impressive changes with the Calverton civic: she’s increased not only the size of their membership, but I think their reputation for responsible civic activism,” said Sid Bail, longtime Wading River Civic Association president. “Some people would say, “This is too difficult, or taking too much of my time.” Toqui has put in the time.” 

Claudette Bianco, a Baiting Hollow resident and active community member, credited Ms. Terchun for her instrumental roles in updating Riverhead Town’s Comprehensive Plan, putting a stop to the town’s sale of more than 1,600 acres at EPCAL to Calverton Aviation Technology for the construction of a cargo airport, and pushing for an industrial building moratorium to halt proposed mega warehouses in Calverton. 

“It means a world of difference for people out there representing you and fighting for your interests and your property values,” said Ms. Bianco. “She wants to do the right thing for the residents of Calverton and if we don’t have people like her, we are in a world of hurt.”

For her relentless advocacy on environmental protection, quality-of-life issues and community empowerment, Toqui Terchun is the Riverhead News-Review’s 2025 Community Leader of the Year.

Previous Winners

*The award was previously called Civic Person of the Year

2024: Mark McLaughlin
2023: Kate Fullam
2022: Marylin Banks-Winter
2021: Kelly McClinchy
2020: Lillian Pennon
2019: The McMorris family
2018: Charlene Mascia
2017: Ron Fisher
2016: Dwayne Eleazer and Larry Williams
2015: Tony Sammartano
2014: Thelma Booker
2013: Vince Taldone
2012: Georgette Keller
2011: Nancy Swett
2010: Rich Podlas and Chuck Thomas
2009: Tom Gahan
2008: Keith Lewin
2007: Open Arms and Bread & More Inn
2006: Mike Brewer
2005: Sid Bail
2004: Kathy Berezny
2003: Jill Lewis
2002: Chrissy Prete
2001: Joe & Gloria Ingegno
2000: George Klopfer & Lt. Col. Anthony Cristiano
1999: Louise Wilkinson
1998: Charles Ramsey, Gwen Mack
1997: Judy Jacunski
1996: Peter Danowski
1995: Sherry Patterson
1994: Barry Barth, Bobby Goodale
1993: Arnold Braunskill, Don Owen
1992: Bernice Mack
1991: Judy Weiner
1990: Nancy Gassert, Gwen Branch
1989: Betty Brown
1988: Paul Baker