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Keller @ Large: Grading Gov. Baker's Blizzard Response

BOSTON (CBS) - The Blizzard of 2015 was Governor Charlie Baker's first test at the helm of the state.

He refused to grade himself at a news conference Wednesday, so WBZ's Jon Keller decided to take a closer look at how he handled things.

"I'm going to give everybody an 'A' on this one," Baker said. "I'm not going to grade my own performance because I think my performance gets graded every day by the people of the Commonwealth of Mass."

Charlie Baker
Gov. Charlie Baker declares State of Emergency ahead of blizzard. (WBZ-TV)

As comfortable as the new governor seemed in his MEMA bunker briefings, his comfort level was enhanced by his decision to deploy a controversial policy of his predecessor.

"I think it's our view that the travel ban worked pretty much as we hoped it would," Baker said.

But not without reservations about nanny-state power, saying he didn't want the ban to be the "first lever" pulled every time there's a storm.

"I don't view this as something you would do except in extreme situations," Baker said.

Another key to Baker's good grade on this first big test was his decision to keep on quality managers from the Patrick administration like acting MassDOT Secretary Frank DePaola, a registered democrat.

More from WBZ'z Jon Keller

"I think he saw a resume of someone who has performed in the past and he felt that was somebody he wanted on his team," DePaola said.

"Our fundamental objective is performance," Baker said. "We don't really care if you have an 'R' or a 'D' or an 'I' after your name."

The governor seems to have aced this one, but Keller is giving him an "incomplete" because the Commuter Rail experienced delays the day after the storm.

"The biggest problems we saw this morning were on the Commuter Rail system," Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said.

While Governor Baker was pleased overall with state government's handling of the blizzard that left major roads in good shape for the morning drive, he struck a note of caution about how long those good vibes can last.

"I think the cold weather is certainly going to be an issue for public transportation," Baker said.

Hanson train
Commuter Rail train stuck in Hanson (Photo from Hanson Police)

By midday the trains appeared to be running on schedule, but bitter cold and more storms in the forecast are sure to yield more mishaps like a stuck train in Hanson, plus the recent sidelining of 40 new locomotives they were counting on to improve Commuter Rail service, the Baker administration knows their good grades for yesterday could melt away faster than the snow.

"A snowstorm is a reminder to all of us that we need a system that works for people who walk and take transit even if it's only some of the time," Pollack said.

Keolis, the company that operates the Commuter Rail, released a statement saying they did a great job getting the system up and running after the blizzard.

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