Barnes v. Durante

75 Misc. 2d 881, 348 N.Y.S.2d 928, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1319
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 5, 1973
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 75 Misc. 2d 881 (Barnes v. Durante) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnes v. Durante, 75 Misc. 2d 881, 348 N.Y.S.2d 928, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1319 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

Abthub S. Hibsch, J.

Petitioner Robert E. Barnes (Barnes) is the chairman of the Queens County Republican County Committee (County Committee). Respondent John J. Durante (Durante) is being sued individually and in his capacity as the secretary of the County Committee and as the chairman of the executive committee thereof, in addition in Ms capacity as the Queens County Clerk and Clerk of the Supreme Court in Queens County. The relief sought is threefold: (1) to invalidate respondent’s election to the two aforesaid party offices; (2) for an accounting of the funds of the County Committee; and (3) for various other items of relief as respects the operation of the party headquarters.

The main thrust of petitioner’s allegations with respect to respondent holding party office is that he is disqualified by vir[883]*883tue of Ms being Queens County Clerk and Clerk of the Supreme Court in Queens County. During the pendency of this proceeding, Durante resigned from his position as chairman of the executive committee and a replacement was elected. Petitioner now contends that the election of Durante’s successor, Melvin Klein (Klein), is invalid since Durante’s original election was a nullity, and thus Durante had no power to call a meeting at which Klein was elected.

Petitioner’s claim that Durante is disqualified to hold party office is based on a rule or policy ’’ of the Appellate Division and various statutory and constitutional provisions.

The County Clerk of Queens County is appointed and subject to removal by the Appellate Division, Second Department (N. Y. Const., art. XIII, § 13). While there does not appear to be any established rule of the Appellate Division as to restricting a County Clerk’s participation in politics, tMs court has been informed that it is the policy of the Appellate Division in this Department that a County Clerk shall not be the County Chairman of a political party.

Such a policy, even if it were actually an officially promulgated rule, would not operate to disqualify a County Clerk from holding such a position. It would simply mean that if he assumed such a position, the Appellate Division could very well remove Mm as County Clerk. The courts of this State have consistently held that such is the effect of the Federal u Hatch Act ” and similar laws which restrict the political activities of certain governmental employees (Matter of Angarano v. Van Wart, 42 A D 2d 335 [2d Dept.]; Amelio v. Van Wart, 41 A D 2d 948 [2d Dept.]; Gretzinger v. Northrup, 34 A D 2d 1095 [4th Dept.]; Reilly v. Heffernan, 73 N. Y. S. 2d 312, affd. 272 App. Div. 964 [1st Dept.]).

Petitioner’s argument that the “ Hatch Act ” and similar State laws have been recently upheld by the United States Supreme Court is of no consequence. The two cited cases (United States Civ. Serv. Comm. v. National Assn. of Letter Carriers, 413 U. S. 548; Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U. S. 601) involve statutes which specifically restrict the type of political activity herein complained of (U. S. Code, tit. 5, § 7324, subd. [a], par. [2]; 74 Ok. St. Ann. Sec. 801, et seq., 818, 819). As heretofore stated, the effect of such a statute would be to put one’s governmental position in jeopardy, not his political office.

However, it should be noted that New York has no law which has the same provisions as either the Hatch Act ” or the [884]*884Oklahoma statute. New York does have certain statutes which, as their Federal and Oklahoma counterparts, do prohibit such activities as solicitation of political assessments from coemployees in governmental agencies, the “ selling ” of governmental positions, etc. (Civil Service Law, § 107; Election Law, §§ 447, 448).

The Constitution of the State of New York has placed strict restrictions upon the holding of political party office by certain Judges. Section 20 of article VI prohibits certain Judges from being candidates for other than judicial office, or their holding and exercising powers of any office of any political organization. However, as with the “ Hatch Act ” these provisions are enforced, hot by taking away the political office, but by creating a vacancy in the judicial office (see Matter of Feit v. Board of Elections of City of N. Y., N. Y. L. J., May 9, 1973 p. 18, col. 6 [Saypol, J.], affd. 41 A D 2d 916, affd. 32 N Y 2d 835). Moreover, the Constitution is specific in stating just which judicial offices are affected by section 20 of article VI and the argument that the position of County Clerk or. Clerk of the Supreme Court is included therein is without basis.

Petitioner has not set forth any other legal authority which would warrant this court’s finding that Durante was not duly elected as chairman of the executive committee and secretary of the County Committee. It thus follows that, in the absence of any showing of irregularities, Klein’s election as chairman of the execiitive committee upon Durante’s resignation was also proper.

It is apparent from the moving papers and the various proceedings and arguments before the court' that there exists considerable intra-party bad feeling and this is augumented by veiled hints of fraudulent and dishonest practices by the respondent and a general investigation of his activities is sought. This court is not interested in the intra-party strife or ill feeling which has existed or may exist between these litigants and has no intention of permitting and will not permit the court to be used as a medium for the venting of personal spleen. The court is concerned solely with carrying out and giving effect to the objects and purpose intended by the Legislature in the enactment of the Election Law.

Petitioner is advised that any complaints as to Durante’s performance of his functions as County Clerk and Clerk of the Supreme Court, Queens County, should be directed to the Appellate Division, Second Department, and as to any other alleged improper activities by Durante to the various investigatory "agencies.

[885]*885n.

The County Committee of a political party in New York State is a creature of statute (Election Law, § 10 et seq.). I't is the local arm of the party and is the body through which the party’s internal affairs are handled at a county level. The functions include the promotion of the party’s candidates for public office, the raising of campaign funds and the solicitation of new party members (see Seergy v. Kings County Republican County Comm., 459 F. 2d 308).

There is no statutory authority which gives this court jurisdiction to probe into the internal finances of such a committee. However, in the case of Queens County, one entity is used for both the internal finances and campaign finances of the Republican Party thus subjecting this entity to several statutory requirements as to campaign financing.

Article 13 (§§ 320-328) of the Election Law sets forth specific requirements for the reporting of campaign receipts, expenditures and contributions.

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Bluebook (online)
75 Misc. 2d 881, 348 N.Y.S.2d 928, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnes-v-durante-nysupct-1973.