Replace potentiometer with resistor
If you want to maintain the capability to turn the light fully off you will want to either retain the switch part of the pot (that is the two terminals that stick out the back of the pot) then it does not make sense to remove the entire pot. 

This portion of the schematic represents the On/Off switch in the POT.



I did not study the PC board artwork configuration but appears that the side of the POT switch that is away from the AC Line is internally connected to these terminals of the circuit diagram: