Having a bit of storm management myself I think that Governor Patrick did an outstanding job of managing the state response to the great storm of 2013. The Governor has a strong record in managing natural disasters, and his performance here was in line with those past performances. Despite that record of successful management the Governor took a wee bit of flack over the driving ban he imposed during this storm. I had a bit of fun over that with my radio pal Ted Panos, who was out surveying the storm yesterday. But the criticism was not all lighthearted, as some folks appeared to be genuinely put out by the driving ban. They could not be more wrong.

The job of a CEO is to ensure that the community served is safe for residents, and that safety includes the ability of public safety personnel to be able to traverse the roads. The Commonwealth had the advantage, this time, of plenty of advance notice of the storms arrival. The Governor, knowing the severity of the storm would tax snow removal personnel, rightly cleared the roads to make their jobs easier, and our recovery faster. Not to mention the fact that unprepared drivers would be placing themselves in harms way, as we have seen many times before.

The rhetoric was familiar, with accusations of “nanny state”, and other such nonsense. It was as if the Governor had been hoping for a big storm so he could force people to stay home. Maybe that is why he ran for Governor. In any case Chief Executive Officers need to administer, and provide for the overall benefit of the public. The Governor did a very good job, and I would be more than willing to be critical if it was warranted. It was not.