New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord listens to a speaker during the First Ministers and National Aboriginal Leaders meetings in Kelowna, B.C., Nov. 24, 2005. (CP/Adrian Wyld)

FREDERICTON (CP) - He's been around for six years, yet many New Brunswickers draw a blank when asked to cite a single accomplishment of Premier Bernard Lord.

In a recent poll, 60 per cent of respondents either didn't know, or answered nothing, when asked that question, while 39 per cent couldn't name his greatest failure.

"I don't worry about polls and I don't worry about legacy," Lord said in a recent year-end interview with The Canadian Press.

Lord said the province has record low unemployment and he's been able to lower taxes, balance the province's books and increase spending on health and education.

"We have the best credit rating east of Ontario, so things are good," the Tory premier said. "Maybe we just need to talk about it more."

Much to his chagrin, Lord's low-key style is often compared to former premier Frank McKenna, now Canada's ambassador in Washington.

McKenna's "big red machine" churned up media hype when it made announcements, often announcing the same call centre jobs numerous times.

But the hype worked and McKenna topped a recent poll when New Brunswickers were asked which premier made the greatest contribution to the province. Lord placed fourth.

Don Desserud, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick, says that while Lord plays well in the rest of the country, he has an image problem in his own province.

"New Brunswickers are wondering where the substance is," he recently told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal.

As far as Lord is concerned, it's much too early to have the final word on his contributions.

"The legacy is something you see after the fact, and right now we're in the middle of it," he said.

"It's still early. . . . Louis Robichaud didn't bring in equal opportunity until the seventh year of his mandate, and many of the items were later implemented by Richard Hatfield."

Lord said there are a lot of big projects that will be completed or near completion before the next provincial election, including the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway, new hospitals and major renovations to schools in the province.

"All those things we're in the middle of implementing, so it's hard for people to judge until it's fully implemented," he said.

But the premier may have to put more emphasis on his current popularity if a recent poll by Corporate Research Associates is any indication.

The quarterly poll, released early in December, suggested the Opposition Liberals had the support of 47 per cent of respondents - a number 13 percentage points better than the ruling Conservatives.

The survey of 804 people between Nov. 15 and Dec. 3 is considered accurate within 3.4 percentage points.

Lord's party also failed to win a recent byelection in the riding of Saint John Harbour, where a Liberal newcomer easily claimed the seat.

The Conservatives hold just a one-seat majority in the legislature.

Lord denies the speculation that he would have jumped to federal politics if the provincial party had gained another seat.

"No, that's pure speculation," he said. "I would not leave halfway through a mandate, and I would not ask a new MLA to come onboard for me to leave."

But Lord isn't closing the door to federal politics.

"Right now my job is here. My focus is here. . . . I'm doing my job right now. . . . Beyond that, we'll see."