Kevin Smith: 'I'm Happy to be Given the Opportunity'

New Town Manager Kevin Smith doesn't start his new job until Aug. 15, but his hiring was a hot topic across the state because he had been considered one of the front-runners for the 2014 Republican gubernatorial nomination if he had decided to run.

Smith appeared on WMUR's "Close Up" show on Sunday, where he revealed that even before the Londonderry opportunity came up, he had "pretty much" decided not to run.

"It was something I had pretty much in my mind had already decided I wasn't going to do," Smith said in the interview. "But then also this opportunity came up. It was something that was of great interest to me, especially with it being Londonderry. I'm very happy to be given the opportunity. There's wonderful people in that town."

[Watch a brief video clip of Smith's appearance on "Close Up" above.]