Goshen Voters Elect Christy Cirigliano Kriney, Jake Kriney as Village Trustees

Christy Cirigliano Kriney and Jake Kriney won the two open seats on the Village of Goshen Board of Trustees on March 18, defeating a field that included two sitting incumbents, as five candidates vied for the two open trustee positions at Village Hall at 276 Main St.

Cirigliano Kriney led all candidates with 302 votes, while Jake Kriney placed second with 258. That margin was enough to unseat both incumbents: Cynthia Hand, running for reelection, drew 187 votes, and Chris Gurda received 130. Ken Tschan, the fifth candidate in the race, finished with 184 votes, just three behind Hand.

The result ends the tenure of two trustees who had each served on the board for several years. Gurda had served as an elected trustee on the village board since 2014. Hand had been a Village of Goshen trustee for nearly three years before the March 18 vote, having been appointed by Mayor Molly O'Donnell in May 2023 to fill the seat vacated by Tony Scotto, who stepped down from the position.

The combined vote total across all five candidates reached 1,061, reflecting competitive interest in seats that have not always drawn a contested field. Village elections in Goshen are usually not well participated in, making the five-way contest notable by local standards.

The Board of Trustees is the legislative body of the Village, comprised of the mayor and four trustees. Mayor Molly O'Donnell leads the board. With Cirigliano Kriney and Jake Kriney now joining it, the board will take on a new composition as Goshen, the county seat of Orange County with a population of 5,777 at the 2020 census, heads into the remainder of its municipal year.