Walsh defends snow plow efforts after historic Syracuse storm: ‘People take it for granted’
Syracuse.com••nation
Key Points:
- On his final day as mayor, Ben Walsh praised Syracuse snow plow drivers for handling the biggest snowstorm in 80 years but acknowledged earlier plow service failures during a smaller storm the previous weekend.
- The city deployed 18 large plows and additional smaller vehicles for the recent two-foot snowfall, with most main roads cleared by morning despite challenges from illegally parked cars on narrow streets.
- Walsh highlighted improvements during his eight-year tenure, including increasing the large plow fleet from 13 to 23, expanding sidewalk plowing to 145 miles, and efforts to hire more drivers despite pay and contract negotiation difficulties.
- The city admitted to underestimating last weekend’s snowfall, leading to insufficient staffing, but vowed full staffing for
