Unless you’ve been living under a rock — or perhaps a snowdrift — recently, you know that New York spent most of the week between Christmas and New Year’s buried under an epic snowfall. News coverage focused on the city’s inability to clear its streets, with blame initially directed toward Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. But as the streets finally began to clear, New York sanitation commissioner John J. Doherty was the one left holding the snow shovel.

“I keep waiting for the picture to be in the paper with the goat’s horns sticking out of my head, like I’m the goat of the storm,” Mr. Doherty said in press conference, relayed by the New York Times. “We got a black eye. I think my reputation, and the reputation of the department, has been seriously tarnished.”

The Times piece has a nice bit of background on Doherty. Here’s hoping he has an easier time digging out from under the bad publicity than his department did digging out the city.