So here we are in the Community of Monroe, trying to reverse our terrible slide. Competing for new business. Hoping to lure bright young workers. Hoping to have one of the nation's top medical-research centers.

And the Monroe County Republican Party is running things as if we were a little hick town where political bosses call the shots. Where it's OK for politicians to stomp on gays and black community leaders, pass out goodies to the faithful, and pick college presidents.

This is disgraceful.

Steve Minarik's style of politics has oozed its way into one corner of public life after another, and much of the community has sat quietly by. Now, it seems clear, the Monroe Community College board of trustees, dominated by Republican insiders, is ready to take the next step. It's preparing to toss aside the recommendations of its search committees and appoint former County Legislator Bill Smith as MCC's next president.

MCC, the Water Authority, the county's Industrial Development Agency, the Ren Square planning agency, the public defender's office: these are public entities, not Republican Party machinery. But Party Chair Steve Minarik has found a way to use them all to benefit the party and its friends.

And now, unless they surprise the heck out of all of us, the trustees of this exceptional college plan to give its presidency to a longtime political operative with not one whit of experience in education other than his own degrees. Why? To reward him? To make sure Republican donors get construction contracts at the college? Your guess is as good as mine.

Are there really no Republicans in the County Legislature - no business leaders - no Republican donors - who see something wrong with this? None? Not one?