Ashley Schandel named Riverhead recreation superintendent after Ray Coyne firing

A new superintendent is at the helm of Riverhead’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Town Board unanimously appointed Ashley Schandel to lead the department Tuesday — nearly a month after firing her boss, Ray Coyne, following disciplinary findings that grew out of an $8,000 stipend dispute.

Ms. Schandel of Wading River, who has been overseeing the department since Mr. Coyne’s dismissal, was appointed retroactively effective July 14, according to the employment agreement. She will receive an annual salary of $98,000. Her previous salary set by the town board at the start of this year was $81,000.

“Great things are coming,” Supervisor Jerry Halpin said before casting his vote to appoint Ms. Schandel, who was not present at the meeting.

“We are a close-knit department, and everyone has really stepped up through the past few months navigating the unexpected,” Ms. Schandel told the Riverhead News-Review on Wednesday. “We did not skip a beat.”

Her promotion follows Mr. Coyne’s June 23 firing after he ran the department for more than two decades. A hearing officer found that Mr. Coyne used artificial intelligence to create what he presented as an independent forensic accounting report and later lied to town officials about who prepared it, the Riverhead News-Review previously reported.

As the assistant superintendent, Ms. Schandel said she picked up  Mr. Coyne’s responsibilities in February. 

Ms. Schandel, who joined the department as an assistant program recreation coordinator in 2013, was promoted to assistant recreation superintendent last year. She previously coached the Riverhead High School girls lacrosse team. She lives with her husband and two young children in Wading River. 

As superintendent, she will oversee the town’s parks, community centers, seasonal employees and public beaches. She has helped steer various programming and events, such as the Repair Café in Jamesport and and established  programs for the active 55+ community she called “The Perennials.” She continues to develop these activities, as well as other capital improvement projects.

One of her biggest goals moving forward is to tackle any improvements to the town’s parks, facilities and beaches. She believes it is important to clean up the “rocky foundation” before building on top of it.

“I have always been a leader my entire life, so I think this is a good spot for me to be in,” she said. “I’m proud of thinking outside of the box in every opportunity.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.