Voters for Business Candidates

The June 1 run-off for Austin Community College's Board of Trustees went well for candidates Nan McRaven and John Hernandez, who squeaked past opponents James McGuffee and Paul Sherr. Barely 5,000 people cast ballots, making the election a particularly close one: McRaven led McGuffee with only 51% of the vote, and Hernandez beat out Sherr with just 52%. Apathy notwithstanding, voters chose candidates who campaigned on their budgeting acumen and strong ties to the business community. McRaven and Hernandez "have the skills and hard-core financial experience we need," says current Board Chair Lillian Davis, re-elected to the Board by a two-thirds margin in the first round of voting May 4.

Two multi-million dollar shortfalls in as many years have left ACC in a financial bind, and the Board is desperate for help fixing it. (This week, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander will begin conducting an audit of the school.) It seems to follow that McRaven -- a former Travis County budget director who now serves as VP of communications and public affairs at Motorola -- might be more up to that particular task than McGuffee, a St. Edward's computer science professor. Likewise, real estate agent Hernandez's experience as an internal auditor for the city and the state will likely serve well a board that has bounced from one financial snafu to another.

Still, as the neck-and-neck numbers indicate, not everyone is happy with the election's outcome. Both students and faculty have complained that Board members have been unresponsive to their concerns, and had hoped to rectify the situation by installing a few sympathizers on the governing body this spring. McGuffee and Sherr -- both endorsed by the employees union, both with professional backgrounds in education -- seemed to fit the bill. "I really wanted the good guys to win this time," said one faculty member.