I have mixed feelings about giving a grade to and assessing the work done by our 186 legislators during this session. The legacy of this session and the impact of their work will likely not be known for years.

Based on their platform, Republicans (elected or not) will likely pat themselves on the back for their work this session, giving themselves high praise. And they should. Maine Republicans, sticking closely to a platform and ideals that they borrowed from other states, cut the budget, fought unions, limited the scope of state government, did their best to legislate morals and values and taxed your health care.

I hope you aren’t disappointed by my assessment, but I am about to toss you a curve ball. I give this Legislature an A- for time management and for overcoming obstacles. From “mural gate” to his remarks about the NAACP, a case of nepotism (giving his daughter a job) to questionable appointments, Gov. LePage is clearly not ready for prime time — even though he provided so much national prime time cable news fodder. While some of the hoopla was exacerbated by the media, these were distractions that legislators had to face. For their ability to overcome and get the job done, I give an A-. Like other Mainers, the work ethic of our legislators should be applauded.

Don’t get me wrong, the governor isn’t the only one responsible for distractions and creating a massive time suck. I have just two words for you: Whoopie Pies! Did we really spend that much time discussing Maine’s official dessert?

With so many fresh faces, a rookie in the governor’s office and a relatively raw, unproven group (I am of course referring to the Republicans) leading the House and Senate, Maine citizens should be cautiously optimistic as to what the future holds for us.

Don’t get me wrong. By no means do I support all the legislation passed this session. If given the opportunity, based on their votes this session, I would not support many of those currently filling seats in either chamber. For every Mainer the conclusion of this session is a time to examine if our elected officials as individuals, not as political party members, met our expectations. Did the person you sent to Augusta do what you wanted them to do?

Of particular interest are the various claims of bipartisan this and bipartisan that. On the campaign trail Gov. LePage and many GOP candidates used the budget (state spending) and job creation as a rallying cry.  It’s easy to be the “jobs candidate,” harder to legislate results. One piece of legislation that came from this session, of which both Republicans and Democrats seem to be particularly, is LD 1.

A bipartisan, “Kum-Ba-Ya” piece of legislation, that will likely not do what it was intended — create jobs. The Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform should receive accolades for their work, LD 1 will make running a business in Maine easier, eliminating loopholes, clarifying questions and eliminating some red tape. However, claims that LD 1 is a savior of Main Street, one that will help small business, are grossly overstated.

To counter anything positive that may come from LD 1, the Legislature passed LD 322, which repealed much of the Informed Growth Act (another piece of legislation that some Democrats supported). Now towns can opt in and require so- called big-box stores to commission an independent study weighing the adverse impacts of the developments on local business and infrastructure. We’ll now pit small towns against other small towns and Maine’s small business still doesn’t get a break.

Town A can stand up for its downtown and support local small businesses and can now require big-box developers to do the study. The next town over is Town B, it doesn’t have a downtown to care about and will welcome Walmart with open arms. Hmmm, where do you think Walmart will go?

Then there is the budget. Press releases from both sides talked about bipartisan cooperation. What this means is Republicans got most of what they wanted and Democrats were thrilled Republicans didn’t take more.

Don’t get me wrong, political compromise is a great thing, but this budget hurts. For both sides to sugarcoat it instead of talking about the realities is disappointing.

The elephant in the room is still the $90 million in tax cuts to take affect in 2012. The legislature has yet to find the money to pay for them. When Republicans refuse to raise any taxes, Democrats need to remember their signatures are on this too. In your family, would you sign for a loan today that you don’t have to pay for until next year without knowing how to pay for it? I hope not, but that is exactly what this Legislature has done.

I believe this is the most trying and challenging period for our Legislature and for the state of Maine. The direction this governor and Legislature take us in will have ramifications well into the future.  While compromise is important, it is as important if not more so for legislators to look at themselves in the mirror and into the eyes of their constituents and be able to say, “I stood up for what I believe.” I am deeply concerned that not enough people in the State House can say that, more can simply say “I stood up for what my party believes.”