Keller @ Large: Who Is Our 'Person Of The Year?'
BOSTON (CBS) - Time Magazine has released its annual choice of the "Person of the Year" - German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
But what about the Massachusetts "Person of the Year"?
WBZ-TV's Jon Keller asked viewers for their input.
Here were his ideas before asking for suggestions on social media.
Judge Berman
How about Federal District Court Judge Richard Berman, who threw out the NFL's suspension of Patriots star Tom Brady in September? He not only saved the Pats' season, but reaffirmed an important workplace principle -- if you're going to severely punish an employee, you'd better follow the rules.
Richard Family
The family of Dorchester's Martin Richard, the youngest Boston Marathon bombing victim, were major inspirational figures in our lives this year, turning their nightmare into eloquent advocacy for peace and understanding.
MBTA
On a less-positive note, why not consider the MBTA? Its spectacular failures last winter exposed deep problems in the system and reinforced how central it is to our lives and economy.
Gov. Baker
Let's not forget our new governor, Charlie Baker, who wrestled with a budget deficit, the MBTA meltdown, and the controversy over bringing the Olympic Games here, and did so well enough to earn sky-high approval ratings.
The Winner Is...
As one Tweet we received put it: "How about the nine feet of snow that kept me from getting into my car for four weeks?"
How about it indeed? If there was anyone here who wasn't impacted in some way by the Snowpocalypse of 2015, we haven't met them.
The record cold and snow gutted local budgets, decimated homes and businesses and cost us millions. Perhaps worst of all, it crippled public transit, forcing out the system's chief, Beverly Scott, and shaking public confidence in a vital public service. Some say it even ran the Olympic Games proposal out of town.
For all that and more, Mother Nature is our choice for the Massachusetts Person of the Year.