Snow-covered sidewalk costs Kerry $50

BOSTON – On a to-do list that includes world peace, one chore U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry missed is going to cost him personally – to the tune of $50.

After this week’s blizzard dumped 2 feet of snow on Boston, Kerry failed to have the snow shoveled from a portion of the sidewalk at his red brick mansion in Beacon Hill. That’s a finable offense, even if you are fourth in line to succeed the leader of the free world.

Kerry had a pretty good excuse. He was in Saudi Arabia attending the funeral of King Abdullah. Kerry will pay the fine, a spokesman said.

Boston caught up with Kerry through a social-media application called “Citizens Connect,” which allows residents to take a photo of snow that isn’t removed and send it to the city.

The offending patch in question is on the side of his home. That portion was missed by the neighborhood association’s contractor because police tape had been strung up to keep pedestrians from being hit by snow falling off roofs. The contractor concluded that the tape must have been up for security reasons and moved on, leaving the snow, Kerry’s office said.