Kammala jumla mai zuwa: An nada Wohlsen magajin gari na wucin gadi a 1979 bayan magajin gari Richard M. Scott ya yi murabus don yin aiki a matsayin babban jami'in Pennsylvania. Wohlsen dan Republican ne, kuma yana daya daga cikin 'yan takara da yawa, gami da Scott, wanda Jam'iyyar Republican ta tilasta shiga fagen siyasa daga duniyar masu zaman kansu a farkon shekarun 1970 da 1980. Kalubale na farko na Wohlsen a matsayin magajin gari shi ne magance wata babbar guguwar dusar ƙanƙara da ta afka wa birnin a ranar farko a ofishinsa. Bayan 'yan makonni kawai a lokacin da ya zama magajin gari, tashar wutar lantarki ta Three Mile Island mai nauyin tan 100 ta fuskanci mummunar haɗari.
wani ɓangare narkewa. Duk da kwarewarsa a harkar gini, Wohlsen ya yarda bai san isasshen makamashi na nukiliya ba don ya fahimci tsananin haɗarin. Babu wani daga ofishin Gwamna Dick Thornburgh da ya yi kokarin yin magana da Wohlsen ko wani jami'in Lancaster a ranar da aka yi hadari. Wohlsen yayi la'akari da fara shirya kwashe mazaunan garin 57,000 sakamakon rushewar, amma a ƙarshe bai yi ba. Sauran jami'an birni sun karfafa shi ya umarci tsofaffi mazauna manyan gine-gine su yi tafiya zuwa iyalansu kafin a kwashe su gaba ɗaya, amma Wohlsen ya ƙi, yana jin tsoron hakan zai haifar da tsoro. Wohlsen da kansa ya ƙi barin garin, yana da'awar, "Na ji cewa alhakina ne in zauna a nan in ga abin da ya faru. Ka kasance na ƙarshe da ya bar jirgin".