Scott Wohl appointed Goshen mayor, pledges fiscal restraint and investment

Goshen turned to a familiar hand at Village Hall this week, appointing Scott Wohl to finish the mayoral term opened by Molly O’Donnell’s resignation so she could keep serving as Orange County Commissioner of Jurors.

The Village of Goshen Board of Trustees voted unanimously on April 13 to install Wohl as mayor, giving him a third turn leading the county seat. Trustees Christy Cirigliano-Kriney and Jake Kriney were sworn in the same day, underscoring a broader reshuffle inside village government as Goshen moves from one administration to the next.

Wohl first served as mayor from 2003 through 2007. He later chaired the village planning board from 2012 to 2017 and returned to village government as a trustee in 2021. That résumé helped position him as a steady choice for a village now balancing budget pressure, infrastructure needs and the long-running question of how Goshen defines itself beyond county government.

O’Donnell, first elected mayor in 2023, said in announcing her resignation in March that her administration had secured police department accreditation and hired two female officers, the first time in village history the department welcomed two women at once. She also said Erie Street Park would open in a couple of months, leaving Wohl to inherit one of the village’s most visible quality-of-life projects.

Wohl said Goshen’s priorities remain responsible budgeting, strong municipal services and continued investment in the community. He also pointed to a larger shift in the village’s identity, saying Goshen has moved away from being defined mainly by the county building and the courts and now places more emphasis on tourism, entertainment and engagement.

That matters in a village that was settled in 1714, incorporated on March 28, 1809 and had 5,777 residents in the 2020 census. Goshen has long been the seat of Orange County government, but it is also home to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame and the Goshen Historic Track, which calls itself the world’s oldest active harness-racing track.

The proposed 2026-27 village budget shows general fund appropriations of $12,499,446. It lists $4,446,772 in revenues other than real estate taxes and $543,475 in appropriated fund balance, with $7,509,199 to be raised through real estate taxes. At a total assessed valuation of $419,074,003, the proposed tax rate is 17.9186 per $1,000 valuation, a 1.91% decrease from the prior year.

For residents, that budget frame suggests the new mayor will try to hold down the tax hit while still funding personnel, infrastructure, code enforcement and recreation programs. In a village where county government, downtown life and event-driven tourism all shape daily activity, Wohl’s return signals continuity at the top and a vote for stability as Goshen decides what kind of village it wants to be next.