Birds visit new areas or vanish from the Adirondacks adirondackexplorer.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from adirondackexplorer.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Shortfalls paralyze ability to clear streets
Darryl McGrath
FacebookTwitterEmail
Dana Ave. in Albany after a nor easter snow storm on Thursday, Dec. 17.Lori Van Buren, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / Albany Times Union
In 1461, England’s King Henry VI fought the Battle of Towton in a blinding snowstorm. By the day’s end, at least 28,000 soldiers had died, and Henry had lost his crown to his upstart cousin Edward.
This was an early example of a well-known axiom in running a country, a county or a city: If you’re a politician, a snowstorm is not your friend.
Today’s elected officials don’t have to contend with getting troops through swirling drifts, but they do have to worry that the snowplows won’t get to everyone’s street. And the “everyone” is not a figure of speech. Homeowners want to see a snowplow on their block before the first flake hits the ground. Multiply one homeowner by 50,000, and you can sometimes count your next election melting away like curbside slush on