Fisher v. Board of Supervisors of Ontario

59 Misc. 2d 953, 301 N.Y.S.2d 310, 1969 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1671
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 28, 1969
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 59 Misc. 2d 953 (Fisher v. Board of Supervisors of Ontario) 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
Fisher v. Board of Supervisors of Ontario, 59 Misc. 2d 953, 301 N.Y.S.2d 310, 1969 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1671 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1969).

Opinion

Emmett J. Schnepp, J.

In this action, plaintiffs seek an order declaring, among other things, that the present districting and apportionment of the members of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors is void, invalid and unconstitutional, and directing permanent redistricting or reapportionment to insure compliance with the equal protection provisions of law, and for temporary relief pending the adoption of a final constitutional plan. Ontario County consists of 16 separate townships, in each of which a supervisor is elected. Two supervisors are elected in the City of Canandaigua and three supervisors in the City of Geneva. These 21 supervisors constitute the Board of Supervisors of Ontario County, and each supervisor casts one vote on all matters coming before said body, which governs the county and is vested with all the powers and duties set, forth in the County Law and other applicable laws of the State of New York.

The United States census of population for 1960 reflects a total county population of 68,070, of which 41,414 reside in the 16 towns, 17,286 in the City of Geneva and 9,370 in the City of Canandaigua. The populations of the towns vary from 558 in the Town of Canadice to 6,242 in the Town of Manchester. [954]*954The 11 smallest towns with a total population of 18,460, about 26% of the county population, elect a majority of the Board of Supervisors. The two cities and the two largest towns with a total population of 38,723, about 57% of the county population, elect 7 supervisors, % of the total number. Although it is likely that these population figures have varied in the past eight years, a wide disparity must continue to exist between these units of local government in Ontario County. A gross inequity of representation existed in 1960, as is evident, among other things when the population of the above two towns is compared, indicating perhaps that the Town of Manchester should properly have 11 supervisors to 1 in the Town of Canadice, and yet each township was and is entitled to one supervisor with one vote. On the basis of the present scheme it is possible for 11 supervisors representing about 26% of the population of the county to enact laws opposed by and to defeat legislation favored by members representing 74% of the population of Ontario County. It could not reasonably be anticipated that there would be such a shift in population during the intervening years as to establish population equality now. These facts clearly demonstrate that the present apportionment of the Board of Supervisors violates the “ one man, one vote ” required by the decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and no objecting defendant here seriously contends that the present scheme provides equal representation. This guarantee applies to local <( elective legislative bodies exercising general governmental powers 5 ?, and includes the County of Ontario. (Seaman v. Fedourich, 16 NY 2d 94, 101.) The County of Ontario must insure that the vote of each citizen is approximately equal in weight to that of every other citizen.

The argument is raised here that the United States census of population for the year 1960 is not applicable. Our Court of Appeals has made clear that as it related to local apportionment or districting, the declared policy is readily apparent and reason dictates that the most recent official census be employed in this area ”, (Seaman v. Fedourich, 16 N Y 2d 94, 104, supra.) The further argument that such census did not properly consider the inmates of the Veterans Administration Hospital at Canandaigua, the summer residents of Canandaigua Lake, the presence of college students, and other population factors was also disposed of in the Seaman case (16 N Y 2d 94, 105, supra.) The defendants here, in submitting a districting or reapportionment plan, may submit any relevant factors respecting such residents and population trends that their investigation may disclose, and such factors may be properly [955]*955considered in including or excluding them from any proposed redistricting and reapportionment plan. These factors are not issues in the action, but are matters to be considered in determining the constitutionality of any such proposed plan.

The County Attorney argues that the defendant board has studied the apportionment problem since 1966, and has a permanent standing committee concerned with such problem, and also with the question of the adoption by the county of a charter. A contract was entered into with the Rochester Bureau of Municipal Research to study such problems and various reports were made to the board. A proposed charter without a reapportionment plan was submitted, which the board failed to adopt after a public hearing. The board did adopt a weighted voting local law which was defeated in the general election held on November 5, 1968. It is further contended that the defendant, a noncharter county, is unable by reason thereof, to reapportion its Board of Supervisors at this time, and that enabling legislation in this area is pending before the New York State Legislature. Whatever the experience and effort, no relief has been given to the malapportionment and the individual citizen has been denied the constitutionally protected right to cast an equally weighted vote. The rejection of the weighted voting plan by the electorate cannot infringe the constitutional rights of the citizens of Ontario County. (Lucas v. Colorado General Assembly, 377 U. S. 713, 737.) This case is also authority for the proposition that judicial intervention may not be precluded because a nonjudicial political remedy may be available for the effectuation of asserted rights to equal representation. The fact that studies have been made, that a standing committee has been appointed, that the board has not hampered or delayed creating a constitutional plan, that a proposed local law has been submitted, that public hearings have been held, and that legislation is pending, aré no defenses, as nothing has been approved nor is there any certainty that any approval of any plan will be made affecting Ontario County.

The defendants have urged that there are issues of fact which require a trial. Various allegations of the complaint have been denied by certain of the defendants but an examination of the pleadings herein, in the light of the affidavits and briefs which have been submitted in opposition to the motion for summary judgment, discloses that there is no dispute as to the material facts, and the malapportionment in the Ontario Board of Supervisors under the u one man, one vote 55 rule is-recognized and admitted.

[956]*956The plaintiffs have established their grievance by applying the “ one person, one vote ” rule to show that the weight of their votes has been substantially diluted when compared with the votes of those living in other subdivisions of the county. A casual examination of the figures cited herein, is sufficient to demonstrate, in view of the fact that each supervisor has one vote, that the disparities in population as between the various municipalities involved, render it impossible to reconcile present districting with constitutional requirements of population based representation.

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Related

Morrison v. Board of Supervisors
62 Misc. 2d 416 (New York Supreme Court, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
59 Misc. 2d 953, 301 N.Y.S.2d 310, 1969 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-v-board-of-supervisors-of-ontario-nysupct-1969.