Two Michigan State University alumni with backgrounds in Michigan politics, a veteran and a former Novi city councilmember will be vying for two seats on MSU’s Board of Trustees in the November election.
Michigan’s Republican and Democratic parties, which announced their nominations during their respective conventions over the weekend, will be seeking to tip the partisan balance on MSU’s board, which currently has seven Democrats and one Republican. Leaving the board is the two-term Trustee Dianne Byrum, who announced in January she would not seek reelection, and board Chair Dan Kelly, who unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination.
The winners of the trustee races will join a board currently looking to unify around President Kevin Guskiewicz — the university’s sixth president in six years. Guskiewicz said he would only take the job at MSU if the board vowed not to interfere in his administration as it had in previous ones.
The board, coming off a tumultuous year of infighting, is expected to continue facing heat over the university's investments in Israel and holdings tied to weapons manufacturing.
Republican Candidates
Mike Balow: Balow, who ran unsuccessfully for trustee in 2022, is the vice president of the Grand Rapids-based real estate firm CBRE. Balow graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy before serving in the Navy for seven years, according to his campaign website. Balow’s platform includes increasing board transparency and reinstating the MSU Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive Team, among other things.
Julie Maday: Maday, whose son graduated from MSU and whose daughter is currently enrolled, serves on Novi’s Economic Development Committee, according to her campaign website. Previously, she served as a Novi city councilmember and a member of the planning commission. Maday’s website says that if elected, she will “stand up for conservative voices, which are too often silenced by university professors and administration,” and advocate that transgender women be banned from competing in sports.
Democratic candidates
Rebecca Bahar-Cook: Bahar-Cook is the CEO of the Lansing-based consulting firm Capitol Fundraising Associates, according to her Linkedin profile. She, and two of her children, are MSU graduates. In her early career, she worked in fundraising for Michigan Democrats, including former Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Bahar-Cook cites tuition-affordability, promoting community engagement, campus safety and board civility as “top priorities” on her Linkedin profile.
Thomas Stallworth: Stallworth served in Michigan’s legislature from 2011-2014, and chaired the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus in 2013, according to his legislative biography. He also has experience in the private sector, working as an executive for DTE Energy, among other firms. He received a degree in Urban Planning and Development from MSU. Stallworth does not have a campaign website, but is endorsed by the Michigan Education Association and the Michigan chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.
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