GOP treasurer, incumbent win University of Michigan regent seats

ANN ARBOR, MI - The 6-2 Democratic status quo remained on the University of Michigan Board of Regents as an incumbent and Republican won the two open seats.

Incumbent Denise Ilitch and former state GOP treasurer Carl Meyers won the two seats up for grabs against Republican businessman Sevag Vartanian and Democratic dermatologist Shauna Ryder Diggs.

Read more: Results of the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County

Meyers won the largest vote share at nearly 26%, while Ilitch won next most at 25%, according to the Associated Press.

Vartinian, a businessman, and Diggs, a former university regent, won about 22% and 23%, respectively.

Andrew Chadderdon also ran for the Libertarian Party, while Donna Oetman represented the U.S. Taxpayers Party. Each saw a little more than 1% of the vote share.

Read more: Ilitch, fellow Democrat and 2 GOP challengers seek University of Michigan board seats

Meyers and Ilitch will serve eight-year terms that start Jan. 1, 2025. They join the eight-member board that has general supervision of the university, the control and direction of all expenditures from the institution's funds and the ability to appoint a university president as a principal executive officer.

"Thank you to the voters of Michigan for their trust and the chance to continue to serve our state and university for another term on the Board of Regents," Ilitch wrote in an email to MLive/The Ann Arbor News. "In a crucial time for higher education, I look forward to working with my colleagues, students, administrators, faculty and the community to continue our tradition of excellence at the University of Michigan - including an affordable, accessible, quality education for all. "

Meyers is looking forward to serving Michigan voters and providing them transparency, he told MLive/The Ann Arbor News.

"I'm honored and honored to be selected by the citizens of Michigan for the oversight of a remarkable academic institution, athletic department, medical system and research department," he said.

Vartanian congratulated the two winners. Diggs did not respond to requests for comment.

"While I am deeply disappointed that I came up short in the race, I congratulate Denise and Carl on their victories," Vartanian said.

Vartanian and Meyers were selected as Republican nominees over current Regent Ron Weiser, who attributed the loss to fractures within the party .

Ilitch, part of the prominent Detroit family, was the former president of Ilitch Holdings Inc., which owns the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars and other businesses. Ilitch was first elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2016.

Voters elected Diggs, a dermatologist in Grosse Pointe, to the board in 2012. She was defeated in the 2020 election , when Democrat Mark Bernstein and Republican Sarah Hubbard won seats.

Ilitch and Diggs were selected over Huwaida Arraf, who accused the Michigan Democratic Party of not addressing alleged discrepancies in delegate vote counts. Arraf filed a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court that is still pending.

The next regents meeting is on Dec. 5 in Ann Arbor.

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