He's out of it. Unless he's not.

That sums up the second of two conversations I had with Bill Smith last week. Smith had gotten wind that I planned to run my interview with him in a question-and-answer format - the subject was his candidacy for the MCC presidency - and he was calling to object. He made it sound like such an interview would be irrelevant, since the search ended and he didn't get the job.

"I'm out of it. I'm just not a factor anymore," he said. "Unless I reapply."

Still the politician.

If you didn't know who Bill Smith was before the MCC presidency burlesque, you probably do now. An attorney and former Republican majority leader of the Monroe County Legislature, Smith has been the odds-on favorite to be the next president of Monroe Community College.

The rumor that Smith was headed to MCC has been out there for at least a year - predating any kind of formal search. Republicans telegraphed their intent to ramrod Smith through when they booted board of trustees chair Lori Van Dusen in favor of faithful company man Richard Guon. Van Dusen, it would become clear, did not support Smith. The whole affair climaxed - at least for now - with a divided board unable to choose a president and halfheartedly agreeing to a new search. The board lost the support of much of the MCC faculty, staff, and student body. They were outraged at the political interference into the college and frequently cited Smith's lack of academic pedigree. A growing chorus of politicians, along with some in the media, is calling for the trustees to resign.

But none of that is his fault, Smith said. All he did, he said, was apply for a job.

Equal parts Darrow and Barnum, Smith was, during his time in the Legislature, the master of affected moral indignation - a treat to watch. The kind of guy who'd stab you in your beating heart because it's for your own good, you see, and you'd almost want to thank him for it.

In an interview with City Newspaper, Smith talked about his interest in the MCC presidency, the fallout from the failed search, and whether or not he's still a candidate. The following is an edited version of that interview.

City: Are you still interested in the MCC presidency?

Smith: I don't know quite what I might do. I suppose it's possible.

When do you expect to make that decision?

The search is going to take, apparently - all I know is what I read in the papers about it - perhaps another year. It looks like there's plenty of time to consider that.

The other finalist, Dennis Kessler, said he would wait for the board of trustees to invite him before he reapplied. Do you want an invitation, as well?

If I were interested in reapplying, I don't think I would feel the need for any invitation, other than whatever announcement they make announcing the position.

Some of your critics say that you're not qualified for the position. Are you qualified?

What makes me qualified are the requirements of a college president. Monroe Community College has specifically acknowledged that the role of the president is to maintain relationships with external constituencies. And to just make sure that the college has the wherewithal so the people who are responsible for running the core academic mission have the resources that they need to be able to do their job.

It is not as an academic officer - that is a vice president of academic affairs. For that position, I would not be qualified. But for the presidency - paradoxically, the presidency is different.

Terri Tugel, president of MCC's Faculty Senate, says that your appointment would not have been approved by the SUNY board.

I have no way of knowing whether that's right or not. I suppose it's a convenient thing for someone to say who would like to try and contrive any reason whatsoever to stop someone with my qualifications. But having not spoken to anyone at SUNY other than Vice Chancellor [Dennis] Golladay - and then only briefly during my interview - I have no basis for telling you that's either correct or incorrect. I can tell you that I never heard any indication coming from anyone at SUNY that that was the case.

If I learned what the person said about that is true, and if it were to remain true through another cycle, then I would not apply because there's no point. I'm not going to waste the time of the search committee, or the faculty, or my own. But I think I would need to hear that from a credible source, and not someone who was just advocating a partisan view.

When did you become interested in the MCC presidency?

I suppose I've been interested in the idea for a number of years, really, as I got a better idea of how its mission was unique as compared to other kinds of colleges. And through my role in county government, as I saw just how it had the important role that it has in educating the students of the community who otherwise would not have access to education or the opportunities but for what the community college provides. And how that ties into the ongoing economic health of the community.

Was this something you were promised by Republican chair Steve Minarik or others inside the Republican Party?

No. No one promised me anything. In the political world, I don't think anybody promises anybody anything. If they do, I guess you know you're dealing with someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. Because it's not over till it's over. People are not omnipotent.

But the answer to your question is, no. I was not promised this or anything else by anybody in the political world or any other world.

Obviously, there's been a lot of antagonism over the search. How does a president heal that?

By performing well. And that is not just a glib comeback. As you might imagine, in preparing and thinking about the presidency before actually submitting my application, and thinking whether it would be the right thing for me, and then in preparing for my interviews, I read a tremendous amount in the academic literature - principally, books by and about college presidents. And the kinds of things they do and the experiences that they have had.

And one of the things I did not expect to find was that every college president, every new college president - including even those who are promoted from within the ranks of the college - have a testing period and are initially viewed with a certain amount of suspicion or hostility from the faculty. And have to win their spurs by showing that they understand the concept of shared governance, which, reducing it to its most simplistic concept, means understanding the principle role of the faculty in the administration and policy decisions regarding the academic functions of the institution.

The faculty needs to see that, and they need to see the president performing successfully in forging the community relationships and in the fund-raising - things of that nature.

If the presidency doesn't work out for you, is there anything else you have your eye on - in the county or otherwise?

No. I enjoy practicing law, and this was something that I felt I had unique qualifications for, given the nature of my experience with different areas of the community and different levels of government over the course of the past 12 years. And my knowledge of the college derived from having a position of responsibility in the county government, which is, of course, the sponsor of the college. But the answer to your question is no. I'm not really in the market looking for any other elected position or appointed position or anything like that. I felt that when I left the County Legislature that I enjoyed it, I was glad I did it, but I don't think I would want to run for elected office again.

Do you think your reputation has suffered as a result of this?

Well, after 12 years in local government, I have a very thick skin. The answer to your question is, no, I don't. And I really don't see why it should have. I'm very happy to have anyone who wants to take a look at my resume, which I think is perfectly respectable, and to draw such conclusions from it as they will.

Do you think MCC has been damaged?

I think it's possible, but I think that was a problem internally created at the college, if it was. They advertised for applicants for a position. I was one of those applicants. By being an applicant, I did not do anything to damage the college. If they had put a line in there that said, "People who conform to our definition of what the presidency should be need not apply." Then I wouldn't have applied. Or if they had said, "By the way, if your name is Smith, don't apply." Or "Republicans, don't apply." Then I wouldn't have applied.

I was not responsible for the ensuing drama. I submitted an application in good faith and was willing to interview for the position. If that constitutes damaging the reputation of the college, then I guess that and every other college is ostensibly at risk in any of these searches.