ACC Trustee Veronica Rivera.

The Austin Community College District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday night to leave the seat held by Trustee Veronica Rivera vacant, allowing voters to decide in May 2010 who should hold the seat.

Rivera, an Austin attorney, announced in July she was stepping down to take a new position with the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund in Washington, DC.

Rivera was elected to Place 6 in 2004. The term expires in the spring of 2010. Elections will be held on May 11 for Place 6, along with Place 4 currently held by Jeffrey Richard and Place 5 by Raul Alvarez.

“The board made a wise decision,” said Linda Young, Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs. “Candidates for Trustee (including Place 6) can begin filing as early as February 5, leaving little time for an effective selection and appointment process required if the board had chosen to fill the position prior to the election.”

ACC trustees are elected at-large for six-year terms. Elections are held on rotation with three positions being up for election every two years.

In a show of gratitude for Trustee Rivera’s years of service to the college and the community, ACC hosted a farewell reception before Tuesday’s board meeting.

### 

About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):

ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls nearly 40,000 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”