Crocktown

"Basically I've met with some key legislators and outlined my suggestions, but it's up to them to handle any crises," McDongle said today. "That's my strategy for dealing with the state budget, transportation issues, and pretty much everything. If I try to lead too much, people might blame me when things go wrong. I'm hoping we can just wait this one out.

"The snow will melt eventually, you know," he added, trying to look and sound presidential.

Although McDongle's lack of response is being criticized by state Democrats, local Republican state senator Mick Orbitshave says he's on the right track. Orbitshave, a frequent critic of the Virginia Department of Transportation, says that VDOT would just be wasting money anyway if the governor ordered it into action. "Did you know that they have people just sitting in trucks waiting for the snow to arrive, sometimes hours before the snow begins to fall? Wasteful. They also put a little too much salt on the road in some places and I don't care for the width of their snowplows. Why can't VDOT use temporary employees and magically appear only at the times and places needed and then not cost us any money otherwise? I demand that VDOT be not only transparent, but also clairvoyant."

When asked for his response to Orbitshave's comments, McDongle gave a noncommittal shrug.