Godshall not running for re-election
MONTGOMERY COUNTY » Now starting his 36th year in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Bob Godshall has announced he will not run this year for re-election.
“An incumbent is supposed to be able to run on his record, and that has been my motto for 18 elections,” Godshall, who represents the 53rd District, said in a Jan. 18 release.
“People want public officials who can make a difference and I believe I have done that for my constituents throughout the years,” he said. “My office staff and I pride ourselves on the quality of service that we’ve provided, the people we’ve helped and all the valuable experience we’ve gained working on the many issues facing our communities and state.”
“The job gives you the ability to help people,” Godshall said in a 2016 Digital First Media interview. “In many cases, they don’t have any place
else to go and they come here.”
The 53rd District includes Lansdale, Hatfield Township, Hatfield Borough, Souderton, Franconia, Salford, Upper Salford and the Montgomery County portion of Telford.
His office helps more than 5,000 people a year, Godshall said, and he has received the Montgomery Media and The Reporter’s “Reader’s Choice Award” many times, including each of the last eight years.
“Throughout his career, Godshall has received numerous awards, citations and special recognition, but none more personally satisfying than the 2011 ‘American Hero Award’ from the National Kidney Registry,” the Jan. 18 release said. “The recipient of a life-saving bone marrow transplant, Godshall’s groundbreaking legislation to provide tax breaks to employers who grant workers time off to donate an organ or bone marrow was intended to increase donations by living donors. His legislation is being used as a national model to encourage similar measures in other states.”
Since 2007, he has been chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee.
“Previously, Godshall was the long-time chair of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, when, working with former Gov. Tom Ridge, they took Pennsylvania from ranking in the lower half of the country to the top five in the nation promoting Commonwealth tourism, which is the second-leading industry in Pennsylvania,” the Jan. 18 release said. “The industry has an economic impact of nearly $33 billion annually, provides more than 433,000 travel- and tourism-related jobs and generates more than $3 billion in tax revenues. Godshall was also chairman during the development of the National Constitution Center, of which he served on the board of directors for 12 years.”
Godshall, who was raised on the family farm in Franconia, later helped run the family’s poultry business. Before becoming a state representative, he was on the Souderton Area School Board and was Montgomery County’s comptroller.
“I want to thank the people of northern Montgomery County for their support over the years; it really has been one of my life’s greatest honors to serve and represent friends and neighbors of the 53rd Legislative District for 36 years,” Godshall said.