Goshen Mayor Mike Nuzzolese dies at 66

Mike Nuzzolese, a firefighter who became mayor of the Orange County village of Goshen, died at his home on March 13 at the age of 66 after a long bout with cancer.

Nuzzolese became Goshen”™s interim mayor in September 2018 after Mayor Kyle Roddey resigned to become assistant vice principal at Goshen Central High School.

A Republican, Nuzzolese ran unopposed for mayor in March 2019 for a two-year term and was running unopposed again for a second term in an election scheduled for March 16. Village officials said the election will continue with Nuzzolese”™s name on the ballot and Deputy Mayor Pete Smith will serve as acting mayor until the 2022 election.

Born and raised in Goshen, Nuzzolese was a member of the Goshen Fire Department for 42 years. He worked in the Department of Public Works for 37 years and became the department”™s superintendent in 1995. He was also active in the Goshen Chamber of Commerce and was named the organization”™s Person of the Year in 2001.

In an April 2020 interview with The Chroniclel newspaper, Nuzzolese expressed optimism that Goshen would rebound from the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The community will come back quickly,” he said. “When we open the village, I”™m sure people will continue to respect others”™ space. We don”™t want small businesses to get hurt any more than they are. We have a healthy business district downtown. I know they”™ll come back strong.”