Noonan v. O'Leary

206 Misc. 175, 132 N.Y.S.2d 726, 1954 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2677
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 12, 1954
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 206 Misc. 175 (Noonan v. O'Leary) 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
Noonan v. O'Leary, 206 Misc. 175, 132 N.Y.S.2d 726, 1954 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2677 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1954).

Opinion

Roberts, J.

In 1925, the city-manager form of government was adopted by the City of Rochester. On July 1, 1954, a petition was presented to the city clerk, pursuant to section 19-a of the City Home Rule Law, containing a proposed local law for submission to the electors which, among other things, would amend the city charter to abolish the city-manager form of government. The city clerk refused to accept said petition for filing and this proceeding was instituted pursuant to article 78 of the Civil Practice Act, in the nature of an application for an order of mandamus to compel the city clerk to accept said petition for filing.

[177]*177The City Home Rule Law was enacted by the Legislature in 1924 (L. 1924, ch. 363), following an amendment of the State Constitution in 1923. Section 19-a was first made a part of the City Home Rule Law in 1937 (L. 1937, ch. 479), and has subsequently been amended from time to time. The section is entitled “ Provisions for adoption of amendments ”, and provides for the method of adopting a local law amending a city charter to be initiated by the filing of a petition signed by 10% of the total number of votes cast for Governor at the last gubernatorial election. Insofar as the proposed local law set forth in the petition purports to amend the city charter the procedure followed was in accordance with the statute. Such proposed local law is not, however, limited to a proposed amendment of the city charter, for by section 5 thereof, it purports to amend “ all other local laws, ordinances and resolutions of the City of Bochester ” by substituting the word “ mayor ” for the words “ city manager ” wherever the words “ city manager ” may be found in such local laws, ordinances and resolutions.

The power of the People to legislate was conferred by the Constitution upon the Legislature, where it remains except so far as it may have been delegated by the Legislature within constitutional limits (Matter of Lynch v. O’Leary, 166 Misc. 567; Barto v. Himrod & Lovett, 8 N. Y. 483). The City Home Buie Law delegates no power to the People to initiate or adopt by popular vote amendments to city ordinances, resolutions or local laws other than those amending a city charter. The statute excludes ordinances and resolutions from the definition of the term local law” (City Home Rule Law, § 2). Section 19-a is expressly limited to local laws amending a city charter. A charter amendment is defined as “ any change in an existing charter presented as such under authority of this chapter or any charter or state statute ” (City Home Rule Law, § 2).

In Matter of Astwood v. Cohen (291 N. Y. 484), it was held that a local law, instituted by petition pursuant to section 19-a, which provided for a salary bonus for policemen and firemen, was not an amendment of the city charter and hence could not be submitted to the voters pursuant to such section. The court there said at page 488: Liberal construction may not, however, ignore the legislative mandate that only amendments to the charter, as distinguished from other laws, may be enacted by the process of initiative and referendum.” And again at pages 490-491: Section 19-a restricts the use of the initia[178]*178tive and referendum to Charter amendments as distinguished from local laws which are enacted in ordinary course by the legislative body in the regulation of the city’s affairs without amendment of the Charter. Even more clearly, administrative action which may be taken without legislative authority or approval was not intended to be taken by direct action of the voters. The test of validity in every case is whether the local law is in truth and in fact an amendment of a city charter. (Matter of Maylender v. Morrison, 260 App. Div. 892, affd. 284 N. Y. 575; Matter of Steinberg v. Meisser, 291 N. Y. 685.) The tradition of representative democratic government is too strong to permit an inference that the Legislature intended to extend the exceptional process of direct legislation to details of administration unrelated to amendments of the Charter, whether regulated by local laws and ordinances or managed by responsible administrative agencies. (Matter of McCabe v. Voorhis, 243 N. Y. 401, 413.) ”

In Matter of Lynch v. O’Leary (166 Misc. 567, supra), an initiative petition was filed pursuant to certain provisions of the Rochester City Charter, calling for the adoption of an ordinance. The provisions of the .city charter authorizing such petitions were held invalid and not within the authorization of the City Home Rule Law. It was there noted that section 19-a created an exception only so far as it permitted the initiative of local laws amending city charters.

In Matter of McCabe v. Voorhis (243 N. Y. 401, 413), the court, in discussing the City Home Rule Law, said: “ The power to provide for a referendum must be found in the City Home Rule Act. (Mills v. Sweeney, 219 N. Y. 213.) Otherwise it is unauthorized. Direct legislation in cities must always rest on some constitutional or statutory grant of power. Government by representation is still the rule. Direct action by the people is the exception.”

That portion of the proposed local law now under consideration which purports to amend other local laws, ordinances and resolutions of the City of Rochester, is clearly unauthorized by the City Home Rule Law and is invalid and unconstitutional. This is not a situation where the invalid portion can be stricken down and the valid portions, if any, of the proposed local law preserved because under section 19-a the proposed local law as “ set forth in full ” in the petition must be adopted or submitted to the electors “ without change ”. A portion of the proposed local law, therefore, being invalid, renders the entire proposal of which it is a part, invalid.

[179]*179This precise ground of invalidity was not specified hy the city clerk as one of the grounds for refusing to accept the petition for filing. The reasons which may have been assigned for his action are not important. Every question affecting the validity of the proposed local law is before the court in this proceeding. This court cannot compel the city clerk to accept for filing a petition calling for the adoption of an invalid law as it would be in effect to require him to perform a meaningless act for which mandamus is never granted (Matter of Lynch v. O’Leary, 166 Misc. 567, 573, supra).

Two additional objections to the proposed local law may be considered together, viz., that the proposed local law contains no enacting clause and that the title does not properly refer to the subject matter.

The State Constitution requires that all bills enacted by the Legislature shall contain an enacting clause (N. Y. Const., art. III, § 13). It further provides that no private or local bill shall contain more than one subject and that shall be expressed in the title (N. Y. Const., art. III, § 15). When the City Home Rule Law was adopted, similar provisions with reference to local laws were included therein (City Home Rule Law, § 13, subds. 2, 3). If these provisions apply to local laws amending a charter initiated by petition pursuant to section 19-a, then the proposed local law here under consideration is clearly invalid. It contains no enacting clause. The title to the proposed local law reads as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
206 Misc. 175, 132 N.Y.S.2d 726, 1954 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2677, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/noonan-v-oleary-nysupct-1954.