When the executives of Maryland's biggest counties and the mayor of Baltimore got together yesterday for a "Big Seven" luncheon, they had one piece of advice for newcomer James T. Smith Jr. of Baltimore County: Plow or perish.
Three to 6 inches of snow were forecast to fall on the Baltimore region last night and today.
For most people, that means a more difficult journey to work or the store, but for a county executive or mayor, it's do-or-die time. No matter how extenuating the circumstances, no one else gets the blame if the plows are too slow. Snow removal can make or break a political career.
The most famous victim of career-killing snow is former Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic, who lost in the 1979 Democratic primary after bungling a blizzard that winter.
A February 1969 blizzard in New York was dubbed the Lindsay Storm after Mayor John Lindsay failed to clear the streets, effectively ending his re-election hopes.
In Baltimore County, Roger B. Hayden, a Republican who was executive from 1990 to 1994, was blamed for snow removal problems in the wake of county employee layoffs that removed experienced snow-plow managers.
Howard County Executive James N. Robey told Smith at the luncheon that if he wants to keep his job, he'd best keep the streets clear, said Robey spokeswoman Victoria Goodman.
"That was the one thing they were all telling him," Goodman said. "It's just what touches everybody personally."
Yesterday, the storm spread ice and up to a foot of snow from the Texas Panhandle to Virginia, making highways slippery and knocking out power to thousands. The low pressure center was expected to move out to sea today, but not before bringing more wintry weather to the Middle Atlantic and New England.
Commuters and road crews across the state were told to expect as much as 3 to 6 inches of snow north and west of the Baltimore-Washington corridor before the storm ends, and 4 to 8 inches west of Carroll County.
South and east of Interstate 95, the forecast was for the snow to mix after daybreak with sleet and freezing rain. That should hold accumulations during the day closer to 2 to 4 inches, but with the risk of damaging ice on trees and power lines.
Winter storm warnings were posted for all of Maryland except the southern Eastern Shore, part of a swath of ice and snow warnings from northern Georgia to southern New Jersey.
