Commonwealth Ex Rel. Fox v. Chace
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Fox v. Chace
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
This case- involves the legal right of the appellant, Arthur- A. Chace, to hold, by appointment, the office of councilman of the Borough of' Brookhaven, in the County of Delaware. In an action of quo warranto, the lower court held his appointment to the office illegal and of no effect. Chace, appealed.
The issue was tried before the court without a jury. The facts are few and not in dispute.
At a meeting of the eou-ncil involved, an elected member submitted his resignation which was accepted. Immediately, as disclosed by the official minutes of the meeting, the following occurred: “ ‘Mr. Christopher nominated Mr. Arthur Chace, seconded by Mr. Waychunas. Mr. Whittington nominated Mr. Skulski but no second was received. A motion to close the nominations was made by Mr. Hensley and seconded by Mr. Phillips. Since only one nominee was seconded
The lower court ruled that the Mr. Skulski, referred to in the minutes, was properly nominated to fill the vacancy and that his nomination was not lost because it was not seconded. Citing, Roberts Rules of Order, Revised. Hence, since there was more than one nominee to fill the existing vacancy, a vote should have been taken by the members of the council through which each councilman would have recorded his choice of the two nominees. Failing this no valid election or appointment followed. The court further held, that Section 901 of The Borough Code of May 4, 1927, P.L. 519, as amended, 53 PS §45901, requires such vacancies to be filled by appointment, through a resolution, and that such formal action was lacking in this case.
The lower court erred. There was substantial compliance with the law, and the appointment of the appellant, certainly, reflected the will of the majority of the members of the municipal body.
Under The Borough Code, supra, the borough council has the right to fill an existing vacancy within thirty days after the vacancy occurs. This right should not be defeated through the application of tightly drawn technicalities in the courts.
The important inquiry in a matter of this nature is whether the number, as required by law, have agreed to the particular measure. If this be so, and it is expressed in a way not inconsistent with the statutory provisions, the fact that the niceties of every parliamentary rule have not been followed does not render the act illegal: 4 McQuillin, Municipal Corporations §13.42 (3rd Ed. 1949). This is particularly apropos in the case of proceedings of a borough council There is no requirement in the borough code,
In the instant case, there is a total absence of proof that the borough council violated any rules it had previously adopted. In view of this, there is a
Nor is the appointment invalid because a formal resolution was not enacted. It is the substance of the act of a governing body that is all important, not the form thereof. In substance, a resolution is merely the formal expression of the will of the majority of an official body: Scudder v. Smith, 331 Pa. 165, 200 A. 2d 601 (1938). The substance of the procedure followed herein was manifestly expressive of the will of the majority. The fact that the appointment was not in the form of a resolution does not invalidate its significance. In Commonwealth ex rel., Aplnt. v. Bitner, 294 Pa. 549, 144 Atl. 733 (1929), involving the legality of the action of a borough council in filling a vacancy existing in the office of tax collector, the fact that the action was termed a “motion” instead of a “resolution” was held to be immaterial. Therein this Court stated that there is no difference between a motion and a resolution, and that it is the substance of the corporate act, not the form, that governs.
The technical objection of the appellee, as to the form of the objections filed to the lower court’s decree is of no legal moment.
The order and decree of the lower court is reversed. The record is remanded with instructions to enter a dismissal of the action, and a judgment for the defendant.
Emphasis oars.
Dissenting Opinion
1. Unless an Act or an ordinance or bylaws or a Resolution or a proper motion otkenvise provide, no second to a nomination is required: Roberts, Revised Rules of Order, §66, page 268.
■ 2. The election or appointment of Chace was not by “appointment through a resolution” as required by §901 of The Borough Code of May 4, 1927, supra. There was no evidence that the Borough Council had adopted (a) any rule about an appointment or a nomination or whether it had to be seconded, or (b) that it had waived any statutory requirement or any Council-manic ordinance or rule. The result is Skulski was deprived of the right the law gives him, and Cha-ce’s appointment or election, as the record discloses, was illegal. If Chace is really the choice of a majority of the Councilmen of the Borough of Brookhaven, the Council’s error can be quickly corrected by a new and legal vote.
Reference
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- Commonwealth Ex Rel. Fox v. Chace, Appellant
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