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Mayor's Joke Tweet 'Winter is Coming' Sparks Criticism Amid Storm Chaos

By Jeff Mays | February 2, 2015 6:48pm
 A retweet from the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio of a BuzzFeed Community list saying that the city was prepared for "anything that comes our way" in terms of winter storms set off criticism on Twitter following subway delays that left the entire 7 line shut down.
A retweet from the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio of a BuzzFeed Community list saying that the city was prepared for "anything that comes our way" in terms of winter storms set off criticism on Twitter following subway delays that left the entire 7 line shut down.
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MIDTOWN — A tweet from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office of a BuzzFeed list saying that the city was prepared for "anything that comes our way" in terms of winter storms set off criticism on Twitter following subway delays that left the entire 7 line shut down for hours.

The tweet of the list had a picture of de Blasio in a "Game of Thrones" outfit and holding a sword with the words "Winter is Coming."

"The City is prepared for anything that comes our way," the mayor's office wrote on the Twitter feed.

@LearnerRobert wrote "except for the 7 train not running."

Another Twitter user @PayAttentionNYC wrote: "Why are you getting paid for this? What part of the City Charter do you feel speaks to this "outreach?"

The mayor made an appearance at a Groundhog Day event on Staten Island but did not give any weather updates throughout the day, despite the massive subway service disruptions and several trains being stranded on the express tracks for hours.

And schools were open in contrast to the morning after last week's predicted blizzard, despite slippery conditions on the road. 

The mayor being out of public view stood in stark contrast to last week's storm, when he and Gov. Andrew Cuomo a number of dueling press conferences to update New Yorkers.

Cuomo, who shut down the subways last week, also stayed mum about the storm through the day.

The user-submitted list — created by the administration in the wake of last week's snowstorm — touts the city's performance during the blizzard that wasn't, including that the situation room is "#onit."

"Things we learned from #Blizzard2015" also talks about de Blasio's dramatic reading of a joke Onion article about him.

Overnight snow that turned into slush with morning rain made for a messy mix on the city's sidewalks and streets. The slop was expected to freeze overnight as temperatures dip making for a difficult evening rush hour.

Some complained about public schools being open Monday.

"@BilldeBlasio Shame on you for subjecting #nycdoe teachers to a treacherous commute both to and from school today!" Kelly Fontaine, who listed her occupation as a teacher, wrote on Twitter.

"@BilldeBlasio nice job today. Teachers all have 3 hour commutes home. Could have at least canceled," wrote @mattiboy13.

Ice on the third rail above Queensboro Plaza left 7 train riders stuck for two hours. In Brooklyn, a man was hit in the head by an exploding manhole cover that may have been weather related.

Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said during a press conference Monday that New Yorkers were in for some "messy, nasty" weather as he urged people not to drive.

The city says they have 2,400 pieces of equipment, including 500 salt spreaders out trying to clear the streets.

Some thought more could have been done this time around.

"@BilldeBlasio hey (Mayor), I think this storm is worse than the storm of the century two days ago!" wrote Robert Pearl."

Cuomo's office did not respond to a request for comment and de Blasio's office referred calls to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority regarding subway issues.

"The city deployed a high number of assets to respond to the storm, and is executing its plan to address it," said de Blasio spokesman Phil Walzak.