Advertisement

John Kerry brushes off snow-shoveling dust-up

By Amy R. Connolly
United State Secretary of State John Kerry was fined $50 for not promptly clearing snow from the sidewalk in front of his Boston home. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI
1 of 2 | United State Secretary of State John Kerry was fined $50 for not promptly clearing snow from the sidewalk in front of his Boston home. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI | License Photo

BOSTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has nothing more to say about his recent snow-shoveling controversy.

Kerry was fined $50 Thursday for failing to clear the sidewalk in front of his Beacon Hill mansion after a blizzard dumped two feet of snow in the area. A local resident complained about the snow on the city's Citizen Connect website and the city issued a ticket.

Advertisement

Kerry was in Saudia Arabia with President Barack Obama attending the funeral of King Abdullah when the blizzard struck. Kerry's spokesman Glen Johnson said yellow caution tape was placed along the snowy sidewalk to warn pedestrians, but the snow-removal crew thought the tape meant it was off limits to clearing.

Johnson said Kerry will pay the fine promptly.

"Diplomats -- they're just like us,'' Johnson told The Boston Globe.

Questioned Friday night by a reporter as he was receiving foreign ministers from Canada and Mexico, Kerry said he had "absolutely nothing" to say on the matter.

"I think we dealt with it yesterday. Thank you. We're here welcoming people for an important conversation."

Advertisement

Latest Headlines