Smith, Hidalgo elected to LCC Board of Trustees
Another election has passed and the verdict is in.
A total of 139,318 votes were cast Nov. 6 to decide who would fill the void in LCC’s Board of Trustees.
Incumbent Robin Smith, who was first elected to the board in 2005, retained her seat with 28.2 percent of the total vote.
Having previously run for the LCC board in 2007 and 2009, Lawrence Hidalgo Jr. clinched a second-place victory with 21.3 percent of the total vote.
John Castillo followed with 18.48 percent, followed by Todd Heywood with 17.67 percent and Joe Manzella at 13.45 percent.
“The best part of the night was not just winning my LCC election, but my two oldest children voting in their first Presidential election,” Smith posted on Facebook within hours of the election results.
Smith told The Lookout: “I felt honored that the community came out in such a strong way for me. I’m really excited to get back to work.”
According to Smith, she will likely remain the secretary during her next term.
“Success really is my highest priority,” she said. “It’s really important that we understand that completion is so important. It’s not only for those students just entering into the work force, but those people who will be returning to the work force.”
Smith said she plans to focus on expense control and keep LCC’s technology current and futuristic.
Hidalgo also shared in the moment of triumph.
“I was excited and also humbled knowing the responsibility that I’m taking on,” Hidalgo said when he learned of the Nov. 6 election results.
“I want to continue to keep the emphasis on students, keeping the tuition and costs as low as you can. I also want to be … an advocate for the vocational tech, the skill trades and apprenticeship.”
Hidalgo will be sworn in during the January 2013 board meeting, at which point he will officially take on his duties as a trustee.
“I want to keep the programs we have that meet the needs of training individuals for jobs,” Hidalgo said. “I love it that we partner with all the different universities to get our students four-year degrees, and I just want to make LCC one of the best practices in the state for community colleges.”
Hidalgo said he looks forward to forging a relationship not only with LCC students, but with the Lansing community.
He said he will actively seek out students, ask what they need and find ways to improve their experience on campus.
“One of the things we’ve heard in this campaign is a lot of the voters feel like the community has been left out of Lansing Community College,” Hidalgo said. “And just as I will be accessible to students, I will do the same for the community. I want to make sure that the community feels like their opinions are valued.”
Category: Other Featured
