But Bahar-Cook was ultimately successful in cutting through the discord between the parties, she said. She led negotiations of the Potter Park Zoo's ownership transfer from the city to the county and got a proposal for zoo funding on the ballot for Ingham County voters to decide on, which would eventually pass, she said.

It’s that ability to bring disagreeing parties together to find solutions that Bahar-Cook, a Democrat, said has been missing from Michigan State University’s embattled Board of Trustees — and why she’s running for a seat on it this November. 

The State News sat down with Bahar-Cook, CEO of consulting firm Capitol Fundraising Associates, for a wide-ranging interview in her 12th floor Lansing office, adorned with framed pictures of her posing with high-profile Michigan Democrats and boasting a view of the state capitol’s rotunda. In the interview, she emphasized how her propensity to form partnerships and bridge gaps can help MSU solve some of its most pressing challenges, like keeping tuition costs down, enrollment rates up, and building more consensus on the board. 

And, given the appointment of President Kevin Guskiewicz in December 2023, Bahar-Cook said now’s a good time to get involved.

“I think the new president is going to take the board in a good direction,” Bahar-Cook said. “I think it’s been a long time since the university had somebody who’s a people person at the helm, and he most definitely is, and so I want to be part of what he’s trying to do."

"I want to be part of bringing collaboration back to the board.”

After graduating from MSU in 1992, Bahar-Cook briefly worked in the Washington D.C. congressional office of the former U.S. Rep. Bob Carr, before becoming disillusioned by the “cutthroat” nature of the nation's capital. She then moved home where she launched her career in campaign fundraising as an independent contractor, before joining Capitol Fundraising Associates in 2010.

Throughout her career, Bahar-Cook said she’s “kept an eye to public service,” citing her 11-year tenure on the Ingham County Commission as well as stints on various non-profit boards, including the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Speciality Hospital Board of Directors.   

Bahar-Cook said she likes her chances in the upcoming election, but believes her success hinges on the overall success of the Democratic party. 

The Democratic party seems to see a similar link. Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Bahar-Cook campaigned together during an address to the MSU College Democrats.  

“My race will be won by the party who wins Michigan…” she said. 

On the issues

Bahar-Cook appears to be aligned with the rest of the board’s Democratic majority on two issues it's faced continued heat over for months — voluntary recognition of a union of tenure system faculty and divestment from Israel.

She said she would support voluntarily recognizing the union, according to a unique board policy passed in 2021 allowing unions to expedite the unionization process by getting certification directly from MSU, rather than going through an election process administered by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. 

MSU’s board, which currently has only one Republican, has expressed support for voluntarily recognizing the union. But its hands are mostly tied until MSU’s administration and union organizers conclude the contract negotiation process. Union organizers have argued the administration has been stalling that process and is trying to improperly exclude certain types of faculty from the union.  

Bahar-Cook appears to be in similar lockstep with the rest of the board on divestment from Israel, saying she is not “open to discussions on de-investment.” The board announced in April it would review its investments, but not consider “divestment of any kind.”

“I think I agree that the outside political influences can pop up and pop down so quickly, that I think the investment strategy — we are trusting the experts to give us long term returns so we can keep tuition down and all that stuff,” she said. “It’s my understanding the (Budget and Finance Committee) has looked at it and sort of made their decision, and why would I reopen something that I’m comfortable with?”

Asked how she would respond to students and faculty who feel personally impacted by MSU’s financial ties to Israel amid its ongoing offensive on Gaza and other areas, Bahar-Cook said, “I’m empathetic to that pain, but there’s pain on both sides.”

“Israel is an ally of this country and until they’re not an ally, I think we need to support our allies,” she said.

Her take on trustee removal

Bahar-Cook’s commitment to collaboration seems to extend to the two controversial current MSU trustees who were referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March for potential removal from office. 

While she expressed misgivings about some of Trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno’s misconduct, she said it was not so severe as to warrant removal. 

The referral to Whitmer for potential removal was spurred by an outside investigation that found Vassar and Denno regularly interfered in university business, sometimes for personal gain, and encouraged students to personally attack a faculty leader and MSU’s interim president, among other things. 

Through that conduct, the trustees “didn’t derelict their duties, they didn’t bankrupt the university,” Bahar-Cook said.

“Some of that travel can be seen as a conflict of interest, but it wasn’t like it was putting millions of dollars in their pocket,” she said, referencing the outside investigation’s finding that Vassar accepted private jet flights from a prominent donor. 

“Especially for an elected official, it’s gotta be gross negligence in order to be removed. The people of Michigan elected them, so I think they’ll answer to the people of Michigan when they run for reelection.” Whitmer has long been quiet on whether she’d remove the trustees, but she has tapped Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the investigation’s findings.

While she doesn’t support their removal from office, Bahar-Cook did say the trustees misstepped by encouraging students to publicly smear their opponents. 

“I think our job is to listen to stakeholders, hear all the opinions, hear all the sides and make a decision on how to move forward,” she said. “I don’t think it’s our job to tell students what to do or how to advocate for themselves.”