New Goshen Mayor Scott Wohl Shares His Vision

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Longtime village of Goshen politician Scott Wohl spoke to The Epoch Times on April 20 about his unexpected rise to mayorship again, more than a month after the previous mayor, Molly O’Donnell, resigned.

O’Donnell’s resignation was effective March 13, and Wohl, the deputy mayor at the time, was sworn in as acting mayor. O’Donnell, who is the commissioner of jurors for Orange County, said in a statement that she was happy to serve Goshen but that she could not hold the two positions simultaneously.

Wohl said the change came quickly, as O’Donnell told him of her plan to resign three days before it was publicly announced on March 2.

He first started as a village trustee in 1998, soon becoming deputy mayor and then mayor for the first time from 2003 to 2007. He served again as mayor from 2021 to 2023, after which time he became deputy mayor. He also serves as the vice president of LiveOnNY, an organization focused on organ donor education and advocacy.

His other roles have included director of membership for the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, executive officer for the Hudson Valley Builders & Remodelers Association, and director of public affairs for the Orange County Association of Realtors.

Wohl shared his thoughts with The Epoch Times about becoming mayor for a third time since the start of his political career in 1998.

“It’s a terribly strange set of circumstances, but I feel good about it,” he said. “The village is in a very good place, and I think we’ve got the right initiative to take it into a better place.”

Wohl said that with the combination of his experience, the board members, and the staff of Goshen, he is looking forward to the years to come and will be looking to fix some lingering issues, including village water quality and wastewater capacity.

The Goshen filtration plant is at the end of its life, Wohl told The Epoch Times. He said that more than $4.2 million has been collected in grant money to rebuild the plant from the ground up, so the project will not cost the village taxpayers directly.

Wohl said that designing for the new plant will likely begin in the fall and that the project will be completed sometime in 2028.

Wohl talked about what he has seen change in the village since his beginning in politics nearly 30 years ago, saying, “Not a whole heck of a lot changes.”

But he did note a real change that happened after the early 2000s, when the village shifted away from being heavily reliant on the county buildings and courts for economic activity.

Wohl said that the move away from the county buildings as the main economic force was caused by the closure of the government buildings for several years and the evolution of the village. He saw it as a good thing that the village could diversify to a more tourist economy, driven by Legoland and several inns and bed and breakfasts. He said he believes that the economic shift drove more appreciation for the village’s architecture and commitment to preservation.

Wohl plans to run for mayor again in the 2027 mayoral election.