Mayor Dave Orders Review of Madison Snow-Clearing
Here's a crazy idea "Mayor Dave," start by looking in the frickin' mirror.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is ordering a "top to bottom" review of city snow plowing operations, aiming to prevent the icy, treacherous conditions on main roads that caused accidents and traffic delays after last week's major storm.
The review will cover existing policies, new technologies and best practices in other cities, said Cieslewicz, who apologized for decisions he made last week.
The mayor is asking chief of staff Janet Piraino to lead a team including City Council President Pro Tem Mark Clear, Streets Superintendent Al Schumacher, union representatives and others to produce a preliminary report by Dec. 24.
"The results last Thursday and Friday were not acceptable to me or to anybody who was out on the streets," the mayor said.
"Everybody worked hard," he said. "Our front line people worked very hard. The managers at the Emergency Operations Center worked very hard. I tried to do my best. We were all well intended. But the result was unacceptable by anyone's definition. We have to ask ourselves, Why was that?"
Schumacher welcomed the review, but added: "Is it within the city's current budget constraints or is there additional funding available? I've got ideas if there's more funding."
The snow started falling last Tuesday, and the city began salting main roads. But later that night the snow was so heavy that salt was ineffective and workers focused on plowing, starting a full general plowing at midnight.
By the end of the storm Wednesday morning, 14.1 inches of snow had fallen on the city - the sixth-largest two-day storm in 60 years.
Last week's snow storm, and the roads covered by it, are said to be responsible for as many as 263 accidents in and around Madison.
It's been a few years since I've read about Madison's traditional snow plowing rituals (or heard Vicki McKenna talk about it on WIBA), but is it still Cieslewicz's policy that the bike paths get plowed first in downtown Madison?
