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.
If it tops 4 inches at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, this late-autumn snowstorm will be the biggest snow there since 14.9 inches fell Jan. 25, 2000, nearly three years ago.
Although preparations were essentially complete before Smith took office Monday, the new executive wasted no time in scheduling a snow-readiness news conference yesterday outside the Bosley Avenue salt shed in Towson.
After a quick consultation with county spokeswoman Elise Armacost about whether his predecessor, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, wore his overcoat on such occasions, Smith stepped in front of the cameras to reassure residents that the county is ready to go when the snow falls.
"I'm just here to let the citizens of Baltimore County know that we are prepared to make certain that this snow is handled in a way that provides safety to the citizens and gets you back to your normal routine as quickly as possible," said Smith, who wore the overcoat.
Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens said residents demand that executives take snow plowing seriously. She suggested that an executive go out with the crews or bring them coffee and doughnuts, said her spokesman, Matt Diehl.
"There's nothing more important," he said. "You ... have to be visible when dealing with snow removal in county government. It's what the people want."
Hayden said his problem was that after a nasty ice storm in January 1994, the mercury dropped fast, and salt becomes progressively less effective below 25 degrees and is virtually useless below about 18. "That really should have been filed under nice things to know," he said.
Ruppersberger, who criticized Hayden during the 1994 campaign over snow removal, made a tour of salt facilities his first act as executive.
During his eight years in office, Ruppersberger doubled the fleet, accelerated maintenance schedules and quadrupled salt stockpiles. To deal with limitations of salt, the county has 40,000 gallons of liquid magnesium chloride, which helps melt snow at low temperatures.
A snow junkie, Ruppersberger rode shotgun on snow plows, he got a sport utility vehicle so he could drive around the county in the worst weather, and he reveled in the snow war room.
In preparation for today, Anne Arundel readied more than 150 pieces of equipment and 300 employees for plowing, salting and sanding. Private contractors help in a severe storm.
In Howard, 63 salt trucks were loaded with 10 tons of salt, ready to hit the roads as soon as the first flake hit the ground, said Andrew Daneker, Bureau of Highways chief.
The State Highway Administration had 2,400 salt truck and plow drivers on call for snow duty today. State trucks were coating area roadways yesterday with a salt brine that keeps the snow from sticking.
The one chink in Baltimore County's snow armor is in the north county, where a salt shed is being replaced.
But Ed Adams, the county's director of public works who faced the cameras yesterday morning without coat, gloves or hat, said salt was on the way to that facility, and that another shed is nearby.
"We're a lot better off than we ever have been," he said.
Sun staff writers Frank D. Roylance, Lynn Anderson, Laura Cadiz, Stephen Kiehl and the Associated Press contributed to this article.