I agree. Whomever was in charge of disaster preparedness in MA should have informed Mitt. If he didn't the ARRL leadership should have. He should not have to research emergency communications on his own.
I suspect Mitt made sure he had capable people in charge of disaster preparedness and let them manage it. He knew they needed a better radio system and provided one. I doubt he got involved in more details than that.
If Mitt has a bad impression of Amateur Radio, it's probably from a bad operator he came in contact with in the past. Let's not make it worse by being vindictive over ignorance. It's an opportunity for education - not a disqualification.