Cam Cavitt

ALPENA — State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, is determined to continue working despite a recall petition submitted against him.

“It’s not going to stop me from serving the people in the district,” said Cavitt, who represents the 106th state House District that covers Northeast Michigan.

The recall petition against Cavitt was filed in Alcona County last week by Gary Wnuk, a former Republican Alcona County commissioner and member of the Fairview Area Schools Board of Education.

The reason cited in the petition was Cavitt’s yes vote to elect state Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit, as state House speaker in January.

According to Cavitt, he received both a physical copy of the petition as well as a digital one. Now that the petition has been filed, it will be reviewed by the Board of State Canvassers next month for any factual errors.

If the petition passes that process, it is valid for 180 days, during which the petitioner would need to obtain the number of signatures equal to or greater than 25% of the votes in the official’s district for all the candidates.

Representatives, who serve two-year terms, cannot have petitions filed against him during the first or last six months of his term.

If Wnuk’s petition gets the required number of signatures, the Alcona County clerk would call a recall election that falls at least 95 days after the date the recall petition was filed or falls on the regularly scheduled May or November election date, whichever occurs first.

Should that happen and Cavitt doesn’t withdraw, he would run against nominees of opposing political parties.

Cavitt told The News in January that a vote against Tate wasn’t worth the risk of potentially being kept off of House committees.

“He was the best card we could have drawn,” Cavitt said of voting to elect Tate. “There was no alternate choice, because the caucus already decided. It was basically a ceremonial vote, not like what was happening in Washington at the time.”

Cavitt was subsequently appointed to the state House Appropriations Committee and was also appointed Republican vice chair of the Military, Veterans Affairs, and State Police Appropriations Subcommittee.

He also serves on two subcommittees: Environment and Great Lakes, Judiciary, and School Aid.

Cavitt is one of six Michigan representatives who have recently had recall petitions filed against them.

The other five representatives — Jennifer Conlin, of Ann Arbor, Betsy Coffia, of Traverse City, Sharon MacDonell, of Troy, Reggie Miller, of Van Buren Township, and Jaime Churches, of Wyandotte — had petitions filed against them for votes they took on hate crime legislation and gun control.

Cavitt released a statement on Thursday afternoon stating the recall effort was a partisan effort aimed to serve political interests.

“By diverting time, resources, and attention towards this effort, we risk hampering progress and hindering the efficient functioning of our government,” Cavitt said in his statement. “It’s not just a waste of time, but a waste of taxpayer dollars. I was elected to Lansing to fight for fiscal responsibility — taxpayers should not be on the hook for a meaningless recall effort.

“Let us refocus our energy and efforts on the challenges that lie ahead, working towards a brighter future for all Michiganders. I remain highly committed to serving the best interests of my constituents.”