Brayman v. Stevens

54 Misc. 2d 974, 283 N.Y.S.2d 933, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1149
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 25, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 54 Misc. 2d 974 (Brayman v. Stevens) 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
Brayman v. Stevens, 54 Misc. 2d 974, 283 N.Y.S.2d 933, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1149 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1967).

Opinion

Joseph F. Hawkins, J.

The respondents, the Commissioners of Election of the Board of Elections, Dutchess County, and the County of Dutchess, move to dismiss the proceeding at bar on the grounds that the court lacks jurisdiction both in personam [975]*975and in rem. Were it not for the inexorable timetable — Election Day occurring only two weeks hence — we should embark on a comprehensive review and critique of both the remedy invoked by petitioner and the motion by respondents. It suffices, under the circumstances, to note merely that the respondents in support of their motion to dismiss urge, inter alia, that the court lacks jurisdiction because of the petitioner’s failure to file written objections pursuant to section 145 of the Election Law; that section 330 provides the sole remedy, petitioner having failed to invoke the former section; and, ultimately, that neither an article 78 proceeding nor a taxpayer’s action lies.

The motion to dismiss is denied in all respects. We eschew an extended discussion of the remedy resorted to by petitioner and the technical objections interposed by the respondents. We prefer to render an expeditious and complete disposition — and the circumstances so dictate.

The petitioner having no administrative remedy available, we do not regard it as of consummate importance that other and perhaps more appropriate judicial remedies could have been resorted to, for, under the circumstances, the confused electoral situation requires judicial review and resolution — nor should such determination on the merits be deferred until after it can have no effective impact on the impending elections. It is also obvious that granting the motion would neither remove the omnipresent sword of Damocles hovering over the electorate of the Town of Hyde Park; nor would they be spared the Hobson’s choice now confronting them come Election Day. Further, if William Parties, the dual nominee were to be elected to both positions, this or some other court would then be presented with one of several new proceedings, one of which would undoubtedly be similar to that employed in Knauf v. County Legislature of County of Monroe (27 A D 2d 440; 53 Misc 2d 917).

We thus deem it to be in the interests of the integrity and validity of the electoral process that the matter at bar be considered and adjudicated on the merits.

The County of Dutchess as part of its reorganization necessitated by reapportionment, has created a Board of Representatives to replace the present Board of Supervisors, effective January 1, 1968. The dual roles and functions heretofore performed by a Supervisor, i.e., local executive officer and member of the County Legislature were legislatively attenuated, for the legislative scheme soon to become operative creates a separate and distinct official — a County Representative — who may or may not also occupy the office of Supervisor. Under the [976]*976previous legislative pattern, all supervisors were by virtue of their office ipso facto members of the Board of Supervisors; in fact they are presently the sole constituents of that legislative body.

The respondent William Bartles has been designated as the Republican candidate for both offices of County Representative for District No. 4 and of Supervisor for the Town of Hyde Park. The constituencies of both offices, however, are not identical, for the former, i.e., County Representative, includes both the Towns of Hyde Park and of Clinton, whereas the latter, the office of Supervisor, for which said respondent is also the nominee, is confined to the Town of Hyde Park.

From the extensive arguments which have been offered to this court, we distill the following, which, we believe, to be significantly relevant and germane to resolving the issue. Section 147 of the Election Law was most recently amended by chapter 437 of the Laws of 1967. It was approved by the Governor and made effective simultaneously on April 18, 1967. The Governor rendered no message in conjunction with his approval; nor was there a memorandum by the Legislature. There, however, was a memorandum in support offered by the Department of Law of the State of New York, which State agency drafted the legislation. Prior to its amendment, section 147 simply provided that: “A person shall not be nominated for a public"office who is not a citizen of the state of New York.” The amendment added the following new conditions which now render a candidate ineligible by extending such ineligibility to include one who: “ * * * (2) is ineligible to be elected to such office; or (3) who, if elected, will not at the time of commencement of such office, meet the constitutional or statutory qualifications thereof.”

In support of these amendments, the Attorney-General of the State of New York noted that, under then existing statutory language, it was possible to nominate a candidate who, if elected, could not serve. The illustration offered was that of the Socialist Workers Party candidate for Governor who was then only 28 years of age and, hence, constitutionally ineligible for that office.

Further, citing Matter of Lindgren v. Board of Elections of City of N. Y. (232 N. Y. 59, 64) in which the Court of Appeals held: “ A person to be nominated under the Election Law must be one who, at the time of his election, can take and hold his office. Neither of these nominees, if elected, could hold office ”, the Election Law, the Attorney-General noted, did not [977]*977then bar such person from being nominated for that office, since, under such circumstances, as held in Matter of Lindgren (supra, p. 63): “As a matter of constitutional law, any certificate the appellants could issue to him would be an absolute nullity”. The Attorney-General urged that the case law be incorporated into 1 ‘ specific statutory language ’ ’, and the Legislature so did.

It thus appears quite clear that section 147, as amended, renders the nomination of a candidate who is constitutionally and statutorily ineligible to serve to be a nullity.

It is not without significance that Judge Benjamin Gassman in his authoritative text ‘ Election Law Decision and Procedure ”, prior to section 147 being amended, commented that: “ There is a line of cases which hold that a person would be disqualified from running for two public offices or party positions at the same election, even though he might be qualified to hold either one of them. (In re Ryan, 172 Misc. 105, 14 N. Y. S. 2d 541, aff’d in 257 App. Div. 1068; In re McCall, 179 Misc. 732, 37 N. Y. S. 2d 739 ; reversed in 264 App. Div. 954, 37 N. Y. S. 2d 284; order of Appellate Division reversed in 289 N. Y. 104.) "While there is nothing in the Election Law or in the Constitution specifically prohibiting a person from appearing on the same ballot as a candidate for more than one public office, the spirit and intent of the Law forbids such a dual nomination.” (Vol. 2, p. 539.)

Whether or not the two nominations of the respondent Bartles come within the proscribed multiplicity of office is resolved by section 411 of the County Law, entitled: ‘ ‘ Holding more than one elective office”.

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54 Misc. 2d 974, 283 N.Y.S.2d 933, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brayman-v-stevens-nysupct-1967.