City of Tucson v. Jacobson

558 P.2d 686, 113 Ariz. 534, 1976 Ariz. LEXIS 357
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 29, 1976
DocketNo. 12582
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 558 P.2d 686 (City of Tucson v. Jacobson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Tucson v. Jacobson, 558 P.2d 686, 113 Ariz. 534, 1976 Ariz. LEXIS 357 (Ark. 1976).

Opinions

HOLOHAN, Justice.

The City of Tucson, its council, and may- or have appealed the judgment of the superior court setting aside certain resolutions of the council and ordering that appellee Joe Jacobson be allowed to assume the office of city magistrate of Tucson. We assume jurisdiction pursuant to 17A A.R.S. Rule 47(e)(5), Rules of the Supreme Court.

The facts are not in dispute. On April 26, 1975 City Magistrate William Brashears advised the city council that he was resigning as magistrate effective May 2, 1975. Mr. Brashears had originally been appointed magistrate on April 9,1973 for the usual two-year term. The city council had taken no action to extend or renew the term of Mr. Brashears prior to receiving his letter of resignation.

After receiving the letter of resignation the city council, on April 28, 1975, appointed, by resolution, Joe Jacobson to the office of city magistrate for a term of two years commencing April 29,1975. An attempt to append an emergency clause to the resolution failed. At a meeting of the council held on May 5, 1975, a second resolution was passed which repealed the resolution of April 28th and voided the appointment of Jacobson. At a subsequent regular session of the council held on May 19, 1975, it was moved that the May 5th resolution be reconsidered for the purpose of attaching to it an emergency clause. The motion passed unanimously and the reconsidered resolution of repeal was passed and adopted with the inclusion of an emergency clause.

Appellee filed a petition for special action in the superior court, secured the judgment above referred to, and this appeal followed.

The primary issue in this case is the determination of when Mr. Jacobson’s appointment to the office of city magistrate became effective. Appellants argue that the original resolution of appointment did not become effective for thirty days be-' cause there was no emergency clause added to the resolution. Appellee maintains the resolution of appointment became effective on the date of its passage.

Prior to our determination of the primary issue we must consider appellants’ threshold argument that a vacancy did not exist in the office of city magistrate. In support of their position, appellants cite provisions from the Tucson City Charter1 and the Tucson City Code2 which provide for the establishment of one chief city magistrate and such assistants allowed by the mayor and council. It is therefore argued that as long as one position of chief city magistrate is filled there is no vacancy to be filled by [536]*536the mayor and council. Appellees counter this argument with the contention that a vacancy in the city magistrate’s office existed after the expiration of Mr. Brashears’ two-year term on April 8,1975. We do not agree with either of these arguments.

Under the Tucson City Charter the existence or nonexistence of an office vacancy is determined by Chapter VIII, Section 5 (1929), which provides:

“A vacancy shall exist in any elective or appointive office, except under the recall provisions of this charter, when an officer fails to qualify within thirty days after commencement of his term, dies, resigns, removes from the city, absents himself continuously for thirty days from the duties of his office without the consent of the council, for two consecutive months, is incapacitated so that he is unable to attend to the duties of his office, is convicted of violating any of the provisions of this Charter, or of a felony, or is judicially declared a lunatic as defined by statute, or, in the office of councilman, when a member of the council is selected to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor, as hereinbefore provided.”

In the case before us Mr. Brashears continued to hold over in his office of city magistrate following his expired term of office. As previously set forth in Chapter 8, § 8-2 of the Tucson City Code (1964), the term of office for a city magistrate is “two years, or until his successor is appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed from office.” (Emphasis supplied.) In its interpretation of very similar language in Article XXII, § 13 of the Arizona Constitution,3 this court has held that where an incumbent officer holds over following the expiration of his term the office he holds is not vacant. McCall v. Cull, 51 Ariz. 237, 75 P.2d 696 (1938); Sweeney v. State, 23 Ariz. 435, 204 P. 1025 (1922). As was stated in Sweeney v. State, supra:

“. . . [T]he additional term, though in its nature contingent and defeasible, is, while it exists, as much a part of the term of the incumbent as is his original, fixed, or regular term. Such incumbent is entitled to hold over after the expiration of his regular term, until the happening of both the events mentioned; i. e., the election of his successor and the qualification of such successor. During the period of the tenure as so extended the office will not become vacant, unless for causes which would create a vacancy in the fixed and regular term, such as the death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or the like, of the incumbent.” 23 Ariz. at 441.

At the time of passage of the original resolution of appointment on April 28, 1975, the office occupied by Mr. Brashears was not vacant. Although technically a vacancy did not exist in the office of city magistrate on April 28, 1975, the mayor and council could replace Mr. Brashears by appointing a new magistrate who would take office when qualified. As we shall point out, the new appointee could not qualify for the office until the mayor and council’s appointment became effective.

Fundamental to the controversy before us is the point in time when the appointment of Mr. Jacobson became irrevocable and not subject to reconsideration or repeal. As Chief Justice Marshall enunciated in Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137, 2 L.Ed. 60 (1803), the general rule is that an appointment is complete only after the performance of the last act required of the appointing power. See 3 E. McQuillin, “The Law of Municipal Corporations” § 12.-86 (3rd Ed. 1968).

Pursuant to the Tucson City Charter, Chapter IX, Sec. 4 (1929):

“The mayor and council shall establish rules for their proceedings, and shall act only by resolutions or ordinance.” (Emphasis supplied.)

[537]*537In compliance with this directive and the appointive authority given to the mayor and council by the Tucson City Charter Chapter V, Sec. 4 (1929), Mr. Jacobson’s appointment to the office of city magistrate was implemented in the form of a resolution. The Tucson City Charter does not authorize the mayor and council to make appointments to city offices by any other method. We view this resolution of appointment as the only correct manner which the mayor and council could use to implement their action.

All actions taken by the Tucson mayor and council do not become effective until thirty days after their passage unless accompanied by an emergency clause. Tucson City Charter Chapter IX, Sec. 8 (1929). However, appellee argues that this thirty-day delay and emergency clause requirement are not applicable to the appointment of a city magistrate because Chapter V, Sec.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
558 P.2d 686, 113 Ariz. 534, 1976 Ariz. LEXIS 357, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-tucson-v-jacobson-ariz-1976.