Last month Mr. Lansley and I gave very similar grades to the Legislature. I heard from folks who were, well, less than cordial in their review of my assessment. Some progressives and liberals felt I wasn’t harsh enough with my grading.

For me assigning a grade to the governor has not been easy, much more difficult than grading the legislature — a body of people. I respect the office of the governor, as well as the governor himself, a poor grade should not be viewed as any disrespect for the office or the man.

Like the Legislature, I have mixed feelings about giving a grade to and assessing the work done for just a few months of work. It will be years before we come to truly understand the legacy of Gov. LePage, years before we fully understand the impact of his actions.

With all the disclaimers in place, I give Gov. LePage a C-.

A grade should at least be partly based on expectations, he did not let me down. Going into the election I was fully aware of the extreme GOP/Tea Party Platform on which he ran, I have not been surprised by a single piece of legislation he has signed or mandate from his office.

My expectations for the office of governor weren’t terribly lofty. The final years of Gov. Baldacci were mired in mediocrity and in action. Fearing a repeat of Gov. Baldacci’s final years, this Democrat supported Eliot Cutler over Libby Mitchell. With Cutler I had hopes for new ideas, a nonpartisan, fresh approach. In a LePage administration I didn’t expect anything new, innovative, or for there to be any thinking outside the box. He has been as partisan and extreme as I expected. I have not been let down.

This governor has nothing to hang his hat on on. When reviewing the press releases and speeches from the governor’s online “newsroom” there is little for the average Mainer to get excited about. There is nothing unique, nothing that reinforces our brand, nothing that says “I am the governor of Maine and we are going places.” To date we have yet to see or hear of any great innovations, grande, new ideas. Instead we have been fed partisan talking points, cookie-cutter press releases echoing ideas and messages crafted in a political war room thousands of miles away (say, from the office of Texas Gov. Rick Perry).

The governor’s online newsroom dedicates a fair amount of space to two pieces of legislation. Both make for nice talking points, but lack true substance and meaning for most Mainers.

LD 1, while streamlining processes for small business owners and cutting red tape, likely will not save jobs, increase employment opportunities or help Main Street. We are going to see any changes on Main Street in Sabattus, Lewiston or Auburn because of LD 1. As I have said before, this is a nice bi-partisan “kum-by-ya” moment, but little more.

LD 322 which repealed much of the Informed Growth Act will make it easier for big-box stores to move in and take away growth opportunities from corner stores, local farms and small business owners. If we agree that the success of small business owners and entrepreneurs are key to Maine’s recovery from this recession, then why look at LD 322? A couple hundred part-time jobs at Walmart will not help our economy. Every new big box takes away from local farms, grocers and hardware store. Yes, Gov. LePage, that is something to be proud of.

I am optimistic with Gov. LePage’s approach regarding education, in particular charter schools, career and technical education, funding and better revenue sharing. With the exception of charter schools, it is still very much up in the air if he (or the Legislature) will be able to move forward with education reform-related proposals. (Lets not get excited about Sen. Raye’s, R-Perry, last-minute school funding formula tweak, that wasn’t about students or taxpayers, that was about his own future political aspirations.)

I imagine the 39 percent who support Gov. LePage might be excited, energized even, by his first several months in office. What about those who are less political, not die-hard Republican or Democrat, those who don’t consider themselves progressive or a TeaParty supporter? Perhaps they are a better suited to provide a grade?

To recap, the “C” grade comes about because of low expectations and Gov. LePage not wowing me. The “minus” part of the “C-” comes about because I believe the governor needs to be our head cheerleader, he needs to portray us in a positive light, not bring negative attention on the state of Maine. When the governor, like a corporate C.E.O makes a misstep, it reflects poorly upon all of us. In the past the governor has indicated he doesn’t care how he is portrayed in the national or local media. What the governor fails to understand is Mainers care how he is portrayed; Mainers understand he represents all of us.

Partly due to a surrounding himself with staffers who lack the necessary experience, but largely a result of poor decisions, and a failure to recognize how his constituents (that is all Mainers, not just the few who voted for him) might respond, Gov. LePage has dealt with a fair amount of controversy. Muralgate, NAACP, nepotism, a foul mouth, questionable appointments and staff decisions, have all have all made it difficult for both the media and the public to remain focused on his agenda

Paul LePage the person, should be commended for overcoming the obstacles he has faced. Becoming a mayor of one of our largest cities and then becoming our governor is not an easy task, his drive and determination are obviously strong.

I don’t imagine that Gov. LePage cares about the grade I give him. I would, however, remind him the schoolyard bully never becomes class president. A good leader deflects praise and when things don’t go as planned, accepts responsibility. I believe this governor is capable of staying loyal to the 39 percent who elected him while also working for the betterment of the whole state, this is something he has yet to do.

The potential is there, but Gov. LePage has a lot of work to do, starting with learning to get along with others.