2 Democrats ahead of board incumbents

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Tweet By Holly Klaft, Lindsay VanHulle and Justin Kroll
The State News

The MSU Board of Trustees election was too close to call as of press time.

Democratic challenger George Perles led the race with 26 percent of the vote. Democratic challenger Faylene Owen closely followed with 25 percent.

Republican incumbent Dee Cook was third with 22 percent of the vote, and Republican incumbent Dave Porteous had 21 percent.

"It's going pretty good," Owen said. "I'm really pleased with the election results so far, and I'm looking forward to serving Michigan State University. The school means so much to me and my family."

She said she intended to stay up until all the results came in.

"I'll tell you this — I'm not sleepy," Owen said. "I'm very happy."

Cook would not comment Tuesday night, saying she was upset that the State News editorial board did not endorse her in the election. Cook, a Greenville resident, has served on the board for 16 years.

With Gov. Jennifer Granholm leading, Porteous said trends Tuesday were favorable for Democratic candidates Perles and Owen.

"This is a tremendous night for the Democrats," Porteous said. "It's a virtual tsunami across the country and in the state of Michigan."

Perles said he spent Tuesday evening relaxing with friends and family around the television waiting for election results.

"I never assume anything," Perles said Tuesday afternoon regarding his confidence in winning a board position. "I just know whether you play football or you're involved in politics, you work as hard as you can and you don't build yourself up to the point that you have tremendous disappointment. You just take it as it comes."

Perles, a former MSU head football coach and athletics director, owns the Motor City Bowl — a college football bowl game played in Michigan.

Perles coached at MSU from 1983-1994, when he was fired by former MSU President M. Peter McPherson.

"We got a slight lead right now — I don't know if it'll last, but we'll wait and see," Perles said early today. "I feel good right now, but it's not over, and I'm not going to jump the gun and think it's over before it is. We're waiting to see till everything's in."

Social relations sophomore Lauren Spencer, who ran under the Green Party, conceded at about 10:30 p.m. from her Case Hall dorm room. She said she didn't expect to win, but was happy to receive about 2 percent of the vote, as of press time, which was about equal to the other independent candidates.

"I'm glad to see I had an actual blip on the radar," she said. "This is just the beginning. I still want to help out around the university and I still want to attend board meetings.

"I hope whoever wins can take the position for change around this university."

Key Hooks, a friend of Spencer's who waited for election results with her, said she was impressed by the way Spencer ran her campaign.

"She really got out there and talked to students," the Lyman Briggs sophomore said. "I haven't seen that from any other candidate."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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