By Len Lazarick
, MarylandReporter.com — Plowman in Chief Martin O’Malley has been the public face of the Blizzard of 2010, seen and heard more in the media over the weekend than in the wake of last Tuesday’s State of the State address.

The formal trappings of power in the marbled State House were replaced this weekend with a show of casually-dressed executive power in a mundane briefing room at the State Highway Administration command center in Hanover.

The monster storm very likely busted Maryland's budget for snow removal from roads, rails and runways, but buried in the drifts was any mention of the long-term transportation problems facing the state.

What citizens expect

Governors and mayors become especially visible in emergencies, which is what citizens expect. Elected leaders need to act like they’re in charge of operations, and they may actually need to take charge. Only the governor can order out the National Guard, formally request federal aid, or get all the state agencies under his control on the same page.

All the talk-radio jabber that government never gets anything done right largely ignores all the mundane functioning of the 21st Century techno-state.

But this storm points to an essential government function that has gone underfunded and neglected for years – transportation. The O’Malley administration touts increased spending on public schools and higher education over the last three years, along with an expansion of health coverage.

However, transportation funding has been flat, stuck at around $3.5 billion.

Read more: Analysis: Blizzard points to transportation needs