Richard Daley Pulls a Bloomberg? Chicago Mayor Faces Blizzard Criticism [PICTURES]

It's been a bad winter to be a mayor.

Last month New Yorkers piled on Michael Bloomberg for his handling of the blizzard that paralyzed the city. (Newark's Cory Booker, on the other hand, kept constituents happy by responding to individual complaints on Twitter.)

Now it's Chicago mayor Richard Daley's turn to defend his winter-weather response. In a press conference today he praised citizens, city crews and emergency response teams for their efforts, but added that the city has "a long way to go" before life returns to normal.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the mayor has been criticized for two reasons. First, hundreds of people and vehicles were stranded after Lake Shore Drive, a main artery, was shut down for 34 hours. Second, Daley has avoided making a public statement until now, preferring to let other city officials address storm management questions.

Daley told the Trib that he chose to stay in the background because "this is not a Daley show," and insisted that his deputies "speak for me." As for Lake Shore Drive, he admitted the city "did not do well" in that area.

Other Chicagoans might have expressed this sentiment in stronger terms.

@alisonbonaguro LSD is a mess that Mayor Daley's legacy will be tainted by. No reason to have live news crews reps at 9p yet rescues til 5aless than a minute ago via TwInboxradiodrew
radiodrew

Wow, daley really bungled LSD. I know he's not getting re-elected. #fbless than a minute ago via Twitter for AndroidEdg N.
norrinparker

Daley has already said he won't run for a seventh term as mayor -- but still, point taken.

Lest we forget, here's what the blizzard looked like in Chicago.

A TwitPic photo of snow-stranded vehicles in Chicago

EddiesTPWorld, TwitPic

Vehicles are stranded in Chicago.

A TwitPic photo of snow-covered cars on a Chicago street

Rythemovieguy, TwitPic

Cars are buried in drifting snow in Chicago.

More blizzard coverage from Surge Desk:
Caught on Camera: Snow Collapses Massachusetts Building [VIDEO]
Jim Cantore Thundersnow Blizzard Freakout [VIDEO]
Al Gore: Blizzard of 2011 May Be So Fierce Because of Global Warming

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