What is this cry for all of the MCC trustees to resign?

The MCC faculty, students, local Democrats, the Democrat and Chronicle editorial page: everybody has jumped on the bandwagon. Off with their heads! All of them!

You'd think that the problem lies with all 10 trustees, not just those who've tried to give the presidency to Republican insider Bill Smith.

The D&C's editorials have been particularly curious. This morning's piece applauded Lori Van Dusen - who fought hard against Smith - for resigning from the board. "Follow her example," urged the D&C.

Oh, for heaven's sake.

Van Dusen led the board in setting up a search process that resulted in two apparently good candidates, both with a strong community-college background. The presidential search advisory committee was a diverse one that included MCC faculty members, students, trustees, business leader Sandy Parker, Paychex VP Len Redon, and Urban League Director Bill Clark.

That committee determined that Smith was not qualified for the position. Six members of the board - all of them with close ties to the Monroe Republican Party - insisted on adding Smith to the list of finalists anyway.

Political interference is the problem, not the failure to reach an agreement on a new president.

If the current board resigns, nothing will change. Nothing. The Republican-dominated Monroe County Legislature will name five of the replacements. So Smith - or someone similar - will still have at least five votes.

And I wouldn't count on all of the trustees resigning. Four are appointed by the governor, and one of those is former Deputy County Executive Richard Mackey, a strong Smith supporter. If he stays put, that gives the Smith faction six votes.

No matter what happens, with Van Dusen off the board, the Smith supporters will be in charge. Instead of throwing stones at all of the trustees, everybody ought to be thanking the Smith opponents - Van Dusen, Michael Nuccitelli, Richard Warshof, and David Ladwig - for doing the right thing. And everybody ought to be insisting on change in the County Legislature and in the local Republican Party.