Cam Cavitt

ALPENA — The Board of State Canvassers on Tuesday approved the recall language seeking to remove state Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, from office.

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

Wnuk could not be reached for comment and was not in person at the Board of State Canvassers meeting.

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.

Cavitt, who represents Northeast Michigan, called the recall frivolous, political, and a waste of taxpayer money.

He said his vote was procedural in nature and Tate was a lock to become speaker. He said his vote paid dividends because it helped him get assigned to important committees, such as the state House Appropriations Committee and the Military, Veterans Affairs, and State Police Appropriations Subcommittee. He serves as Republican vice chair of the latter committee.

The recall, Cavitt said, is not going to deter him from doing the job he was elected to do.

“I’ll continue to represent the communities and my constituents the best I can and it will continue to be full steam ahead,” he said.

Now that the recall language has been approved, Wnuk has 180 days to collect the 11,903 signatures to get the issue on a ballot.

The 11,903 total represents 25% of the total number of Republican voters who voted in the 2022 gubernatorial election in the 106th state House District that Cavitt represents.

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.

The special election would need to be held in each precinct in Cavitt’s district, which would be a burden on them financially.

Cavitt said there are 63 townships and many cities in his district, and the burden of paying for the recall will fall on them. Cavitt to the total amount to hold the election would be in access of $500,000 combined, just for the townships.

“These townships struggle now with tight budgets, and they sure didn’t budget for something like this,” he said. “When it comes right down to it, it is the taxpayers who are paying for it and that’s a shame, because there are a lot of things I’m sure they would rather see their money be used for.”

Six other lawmakers faced recall. The recall language against Cavitt was the only one approved.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.