State ex rel. Roberts v. McDevitt
State ex rel. Roberts v. McDevitt
Opinion of the Court
Local laws enacted by tbe General Assembly regulating tbe affairs of Madison County have proved a prolific source of litigation. Brigman v. Baley, 213 N.C. 119, 195 S.E. 617; Reed v. Commissioners, 213 N.C. 145, 195 S.E. 620; Waldroup v. Ferguson, 213 N.C. 198, 195 S.E. 615; Freeman v. Commissioners, 217 N.C. 209, 7 S.E. 2d 354; Sams v. Commissioners, 217 N.C. 284, 7 S.E. 2d 540; Hill v. Ponder, 221 N.C. 58, 19 S.E. 2d 5; Freeman v. Commissioners, 221 N.C. 63, 19 S.E. 2d 9.
Tbe case now before us presents tbe question of tbe validity of an attempted election to the office of tax manager for Madison County under tbe provisions of Chapter 341, Public-Local Laws 1931. Each of tbe parties to this action, relator and respondent, asserts title to tbe office as result of election in accord with tbe machinery prescribed by this Act. Tbe Act itself was upheld as a valid exercise of legislative power in Freeman v. Commissioners, 217 N.C. 209, 7 S.E. 2d 354, where its pertinent provisions are stated.
Tbe Act prescribed that tbe only method for tbe election of a person to perform tbe duties of this office in Madison County was by tbe votes of tbe chairmen of designated Boards acting ex officio. Originally six chairmen constituted tbe electing body, but as result of statutory change (Chap. 1131, Session Laws 1949) and tbe judgment of this Court (Brigman v. Baley, supra) tbe number has been reduced to four; and of tbe four tbe rights of two are challenged.
Tbe relator alleges in bis complaint that Dr. Ramsey, who as chairman of tbe County Board of Health voted for tbe respondent, was not legally qualified to participate in tbe election of a tax manager. Likewise, tbe
Two questions then are presented:
1. Was E. E. Freeman as chairman of the Sinking Fund Commission entitled to vote in the election ?
2. Was Dr. Eamsey as chairman of the County Board of Health entitled to vote ?
The Act of the General Assembly (Chap. 183, Public-Local Laws 1931) creating a Sinking Fund Commission for Madison County was held valid in Freeman v. Commissioners, 217 N.C. 209, 7 S.E. 2d 354, and the relator offered evidence, which was not rebutted, that F. E. Freeman was chairman of that Commission, and for 14 years had acted as such, performing all the duties prescribed by the Act for such chairman; that as chairman of this Commission he had handled the funds incident to bond settlements, signed checks, approved official bonds, kept joint control and check of collaterals impounded to secure .public deposits in both banks, had participated without question in previous elections of tax managers and collectors, and had been recognized by officials and the public generally as the chairman of the Sinking Fund Commission for the entire time. True, no minutes or records of the Sinking Fund Commission showing Freeman’s selection as chairman were offered, but it was testified no written minutes were kept. Hence, in the absence of statutory requirement for minutes and records, parol evidence was admissible to show the action of the Commission. Tuttle v. Building Corp., 228 N.C. 507 (513), 46 S.E. 2d 313; Bank of U. S. v. Dandridge, 12 Wheaton (U.S.), 64 (69), Wigmore, sec. 2451. While the other members of the Sinking Fund Commission had not met in formal session in some years, there were no specific duties prescribed for them, other than the selection of a chairman and the filling of vacancies in the membership of the Commission. It was only upon the chairman as executive head of the Commission that important and continuous duties devolved. From an examination of the evidence in the record, we conclude there was no error in the court’s instructing the jury if they found the facts to be as shown by all the evidence to answer the issues submitted in the affirmative. Smith v. Carolina Beach, 206 N.C. 834, 175 S.E. 313; Freeman v. Commissioners, 217 N.C. 209 (215), 7 S.E. 2d 354.
The jury having answered the issues accordingly, and the trial being free from prejudicial error, F. E. Freeman must be held to have been duly qualified to vote in the election of a tax manager in August, 1949.
2. Was Dr. Eamsey entitled to vote, as chairman of the Board of Health of Madison County, in the election of a tax manager August 1, 1949?
3. It follows, if there were four qualified electors entitled to vote for a tax manager on August 1, 1949, and only four, and two of them voted for relator and two for respondent, there was no election. There being no one holding over and no one properly elected in the method prescribed by Chap. 341, Public-Local Laws 1931, there was a vacancy in the office of .tax manager for Madison County. We think in case of a vacancy in this office by analogy to G.S. 153-9 (12) and G.S. 153-9 (10), and under their general power as to taxation and finance, the Board of County Commissioners would have the power to appoint some qualified person to perform the duties of this essential office for the remainder of the term
After a careful consideration of the record in this case we reach the conclusion that the relator has failed to establish his right to the office of tax manager or tax collector for Madison County, and that the judgment below must be
Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, ex Rel. WILLIAM McCRAE ROBERTS v. OTTO McDEVITT
- Status
- Published