A group of voters has filed almost 14,000 signatures to try and oust Republican state Representative Larry Inman. Inman is facing a federal trial for charges that include bribery and lying to law enforcement.
Chris Cooke, Inman's attorney, says the petition makes it sound like Inman has been convicted.
“I think you can’t violate somebody’s constitutional right against a presumption of innocence, stick that on a recall petition, as if he’s been convicted of a crime," he said. "I just think that’s patently unfair in our society.”
Kaitlin Flynn is the campaign manager for the committee. She says on top of awaiting a federal trial, Inman missed hundreds of votes in the aftermath of his indictment.
“Grand Traverse County deserves representation so this is us getting our representation back.”
The language used in the petition is still being appealed by Cooke. If a court sides with Inman, the group would have to start over.
Flynn says one volunteer gathered 700 signatures.
“This has been a powerful community effort with over 150 local volunteers putting in countless hours to do the work to hold our Representative accountable,” she said.
Inman has repeatedly stated that he is innocent of the federal charges.
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