Gov. Shapiro Did Something That Only Two of His Gubernatorial Predecessors Have Done

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Gov. Josh Shapiro
Image via the Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania.
Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Early this morning, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro took action on a high-profile matter that every single former Commonwealth governor has sidestepped but two. Ryan Deto explained in Trib Live.

Gov. Ed Rendell did it in 2003, the first sitting Pa. governor to do so.

Gov. Tom Corbett rose to the occasion in 2012.

Where was Shapiro’s notable appointment? What was its purpose?

He was in Gobbler’s Knob, Pa., awaiting the Groundhog Day verdict of Punxsutawney Phil.

Other state chief executives may have had Feb. 2 schedules that were too packed to leave Harrisburg. Or they may have considered the kitschy event too lowbrow to attend.

Regardless, Shapiro said recently that he was eager to participate in the “storied Pennsylvania tradition” of the big reveal of the state’s meteorological outlook for the balance of winter 2023.

He’s been game for this kind of fun experience in the past. As chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, he once stepped aboard a hot air balloon at an annual meeting of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board. The wind kicked up unexpectedly, and Shapiro’s ride was a bit wild. But he remained good natured about it.

The 2023 Groundhog Day festivities is Pa.’s 137th edition, and at 7:25 AM, Phil saw his shadow, signifying six more weeks of winter.

More on Gov. Shapiro’s Groundhog Day is at Trib Live.

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What would a Groundhog Day story be without mentioning the 1993 film? Here’s Bill Murray battling his alarm clock.

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