Ferguson era at MSU appears over as Dems look to other board candidates

Longtime power broker’s stumbles on Nassar and Engler catch up with him

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TUESDAY, Aug. 18 — Michigan Democrats will vote virtually next week on two nominees for Michigan State University Board of Trustees, and it's doubtful that the name of Joel Ferguson will be among the choices.

The 81-year-old, four-time incumbent and former MSU board chairman is quietly exiting the scene after organized labor and the Democratic Black Caucus declined to endorse a bid for reelection, multiple sources tell City Pulse.

Ferguson has retained a campaign manager, so it's possible the successful Lansing real estate developer could change his mind and give it a go. But with the traditional Democratic apparatus consolidating behind two other candidates, Ferguson would be facing a quixotic campaign.

Barring any last-minute changes, incumbent MSU Trustee Brian Mosallam and Detroit-area educator Rema Reynolds Vassar will be the Democratic Party's nominees. No other name has surfaced as a possibility. Nobody else has filed a campaign committee with the state and nobody else has actively campaigned for the nominations.

Mosallam and Vassar have been appearing together for Democratic events as a tandem.

Potential candidates have until the end of the day tomorrow to file their paperwork and pay the $2,500 filing fee to run.

From that point, candidates have between Aug. 24-26 to virtually gather at least 443 signatures from registered Democrats to appear on the Aug. 29 convention ballot.

Asked about his intentions, Ferguson politely told City Pulse he'd talk about his State Fairground property development but not about seeking reelection to the MSU Board.

Ferguson, the wealthy development, philanthropist and significant Democratic contributors, has been the predominant power broker at MSU, both visibly and behind the scenes. His connections with Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats have made him a powerful figure within Democratic circles for decades.

But Ferguson's perceived public callousness toward the sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar and his behind-the-scenes maneuvering to bring in former Republican Gov. John Engler to lead MSU on an interim basis turned off education unions, the UAW, progressive groups and even the Black caucus.

Mosallam avoided the anti-incumbent backlash at MSU by embracing survivors who felt Engler was only interested in paying them off as opposed to improving the campus culture. He spoke out publicly against Engler, whom he did vote to bring on initially, and in support of the survivors, ultimately earning him the endorsement of a Nassar survivor parent group, Parents of Sister Survivors Engage (POSSE).

In taking this route, Mosallum, president of Spartan Wealth Management, separated himself from the rest of the board, sources tell MIRS. He essentially became an island as he sought support within the party to win the support of labor and other traditional Democratic interest groups.

The former Michigan State University football player appears to have saved his position with this move, although some question whether his actions were self-serving. From a Democratic Party perspective, having a practicing Muslim on the statewide ticket adds to the party's diversity.

Meanwhile, Vassar is getting strong support as a "genuine" person whose daughter experienced racial incidents on MSU's campus. MSU Trustee Brianna Scott said Vassar shares his vision of equality and inclusion and she's hopeful the two can bring positive change to Michigan State University.

"She's doing it for right reason," Scott said. "It's time for a new voice."

Vassar is a former K-12 public school teacher, counselor, administrator and parent organizer. She's received the backing of the UAW, the American Federation Teachers and the Michigan Education Associations' Democratic Educators Caucus.

She graduated from Western Michigan University and received her doctorate in education from UCLA in California. She's as assistant professor at Eastern Michigan University and is the principal at Every Student Learning.

While she didn't attend MSU, her husband did and daughter is a MSU student.

(Kyle Melinn of the Capitol news service MIRS is at melinnky@gmail.com.)

 

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