5 New Department Heads Appointed In East Hampton Town

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The East Hampton town board has appointed five new department heads since late December, officials said this week.

On April 6, the board voted to appoint Eric Schantz as director of housing and community development. Schantz, who will assume his new post on May 1, has been with the town's planning department since 2007, serving as assistant town planning director since 2021, officials said.

A number of key employees have retired recently, several with decades of experience, officials added. Other departments with recently appointed new leadership include the East Hampton Town marine patrol division, tax receiver, human resources, and building departments.

"The limited amount of nearby affordable housing and long commute times to and from East Hampton Town have created a challenging labor market where it is difficult for the town, as well as local businesses, to find and retain qualified staff," said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc. "We are pleased to have been able to promote or bring on these outstanding new department heads. We are confident in their proven leadership and other key skills that will enable them to lead these various town departments into the future, continuing to provide excellent services to our community."

The town board has been working to address staffing challenges and improve employee recruitment and retention, from approving updated contracts with both the Civil Service Employees Association and Police Benevolent Association union employees to incorporating across-the-board salary increases in the 2023 budget and issuing one-time "supplemental payments" to employees last fall to help mitigate the impact of high inflation and rising prices for daily living expenses, town officials said.

In addition to Schantz, Kathleen Rood, who was originally hired by East Hampton Town in 2016 as a personnel assistant, was appointed on April 6 to the leadership position of town personnel officer and head of the human resources department, the town board said.

In late 2022, Tim Treadwell was appointed head of the East Hampton Town Police Department's marine patrol division, overseeing all aspects of marine law enforcement on the beaches and waterways in town, officials said.

Treadwell began his career with the town in 2003 as a lifeguard, became a harbormaster — then called bay constable— in 2005, was promoted to senior harbormaster in 2013, and assumed the duties of marine patrol after Ed Michels retired from the post, town officials said.

Also, Joe Palermo became the town’s chief building Inspector in March, succeeding Ann Glennon. He joined building department staff in 2016 and served since 2019 as a senior building inspector, the town said.

Christine Schnell’s appointment as tax receiver at the start of 2023 marked her return to employment with the town, where she worked as a purchasing agent from 1999 to 2007. In the intervening years, she served as a purchasing agent and treasurer for several local school districts, the town said.