Auburn recovery organization Nick's Ride 4 Friends has named Rick Hansinger as its interim executive director.
Hansinger will lead the organization while its founder and executive director, Joel Campagnola, is on paid leave. Hansinger was previously executive director of the E. John Gavras Center in Auburn.
The Nick's Ride board of directors announced Campagnola's leave Dec. 4 after a second set of charges was filed against him as a result of an incident at Kings and Queens Court Apartments June 3.
People are also reading…
Campagnola has been accused of grabbing and pushing two people there that morning, one of them an ex-girlfriend, after trespassing onto their residences while in possession of a handgun.
The Nick's Ride founder claimed he was performing welfare checks on the alleged victims, as they both received services from Nick's Ride, and that he had permission from the landlord to be there. He also declined a special prosecutor's offer to plead guilty to one of the first charges, the class D felony of first-degree trespassing, in exchange for it being reduced to a violation.
In a statement, board President Matt Chalanick said Nick's Ride hopes for a smooth transition to Hansinger's leadership and the continuation of its many community partnerships. The board was assisted in its search for the position by the Cayuga County Health Department, including Director of Community Services Ray Bizzari and HEALing Communities Study Project Manager Monika Salvage.
"We acknowledge and understand the community’s confidence in the organization may have been shaken by all that’s transpired; we will make every effort to repair relationships and continue our mission," Chalanick said. "We believe the hiring of Rick Hansinger is a significant step in that direction; Rick also provides stability, leadership and experience — all of which facilitate the sustainability of the organization."
Campagnola founded the organization after the death of his 20-year-old son, Nick, from an overdose on fentanyl and synthetic acid in 2015. It provides peer support and other services for people recovering from addiction. Though currently based at 12 South St., the organization plans to move to a new, bigger location at 13 Chapel St., which Campagnola has described as a "one-stop" destination for people who need recovery services.
"This movement and our mission is larger than one individual and is needed now more than ever," Chalanick said. "We are saving lives on a daily basis and must continue to do so; we cannot fail."
"Gasoline on the fire."