NEW YORK December 27, 2010, 06:20 pm ET A windy winter storm that dumped
nearly 2 feet of snow on New York City also whipped up criticism about
how the city responded to it.

Some New Yorkers in the outer boroughs complained that the city took too
long to plow their neighborhoods, ignoring them in favor of wealthier
Manhattan areas.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the fast pace of snowfall — 2 to 3 inches
per hour at some periods overnight — and the amount of people who
abandoned cars in the road delayed the progress of the plows.

"Those cars have to be towed before plowing can resume, which really
slows things up," he said.

Officials said crews were concentrating on main roadways and warned that
side streets might not be cleared until Tuesday.

For the record, the city deployed 1,600 plows for a snowstorm that
delivered 20.9 inches in February, as measured in Central Park. For
this latest winter blast — which dropped 20 inches — 1,700 plows,
plus 365 salt spreaders that were converted into plows, were working on
the streets.

Fire officials said the unplowed roads were slowing their responses to
emergencies, and snowbound residents in Brooklyn and Queens said many
streets, including main thoroughfares, were impossible to traverse,
making it difficult to get to work.

At New Enrico's Car Service in Queens, all 90 taxis in the fleet were
grounded — either trapped under snow drifts or stuck on impassable
streets.

"I'm furious at Mayor Bloomberg, he's a rich man, so he doesn't care
about the little people," said livery driver Julio Carpio, speaking in
Spanish. "I have to work, why aren't people out there plowing? Why does
the mayor always go on TV the night before to say, 'We're all set with
a fleet of salt trucks,'? and then you never see a single truck. They
always abandon Queens."

Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent and billionaire
who barely tolerates complaining, downplayed concerns and encouraged New
Yorkers to enjoy the snow or take advantage of the unexpected free time
by attending a Broadway show.

"There's no reason for everybody to panic," he said. "Our city is doing
exactly what you'd want it to do."

Snowstorms can bring a chill to a mayor's popularity among his
constituents.

A 1969 storm dumped a little more than a foot of snow in New York
City but dogged then-Mayor John Lindsay for many months afterward,
contributing to his narrow re-election win that year. Some streets in
Queens weren't cleared for days, and Lindsay was accused of harboring
a Manhattan-centric attitude.

Late in the day on Monday, as criticism began to build, Bloomberg
headed to a southwest Queens neighborhood to greet residents at a local
bakery. He also made a stop in Brooklyn and was heading to Staten Island.

State Sen. Carl Kruger, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn,
called the city's response to the storm a "colossal failure."

"Forecasters predicted this blizzard days in advance," Kruger said. "There
was clearly insufficient planning, and New Yorkers are paying too steep
a price. Someone has to be accountable."

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