Case Title: Randall v. Seemann

Citation: 228 Kan. 395, 613 P.2d 1376

Docket Number: 52017, 52018

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1980-07-18T00:00:00Z

Document:
228 Kan. 395 (1980)
613 P.2d 1376
WILLIAM J. RANDALL, Appellant,
v.
ROSALIE SEEMANN, Appellee.
Nos. 80-52017-A and 80-52018-A (Consolidated)

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed July 18, 1980.
Allen Shelton, of Clark & Shelton, of Hill City, argued the cause and was on the brief for the appellant.
Ronald S. Shalz, of Cooper & Shalz, of Colby, argued the cause, and Laurence A. Taylor, of the same firm, and Perry Murray, county attorney, were with him on the brief for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
McFARLAND, J.:
This is a consolidated appeal of two cases arising from the recall of Thomas County Commissioner William J. Randall, plaintiff-appellant herein. The defendant-appellee is Rosalie Seemann, Thomas County Election Officer.
On December 17, 1979, the first set of recall petitions was filed with defendant. Two days later defendant determined the recall petitions were sufficient, formally advised plaintiff of her determination, and tentatively set the recall election for March 4, 1980. On January 3, 1980, plaintiff filed case number 80-C-1 (subsequently appeal number 80-52018-A), challenging the scheduled recall election on various grounds. On January 11, 1980, while said action was pending, defendant, acting upon advice of the county attorney, redetermined the sufficiency of the recall petitions and found they were insufficient as they did not conform to the statutory requirements. In her answer to plaintiff's petition, *396 defendant, in essence, admitted the insufficiency of the recall petitions. On January 30, 1980, the trial court dismissed plaintiff's action as moot. On March 10, 1980, plaintiff's motion to alter or amend the January 30 order to reflect a determination on the merits and to enjoin the March 4, 1980, recall election was denied.
Meanwhile, on January 21, 1980, a second set of recall petitions was filed with the defendant. On the following day defendant notified plaintiff that the new recall petitions had been determined to be legally sufficient and set the recall election on the new petitions for April 1, 1980. On February 19, 1980, plaintiff filed case number 80-C-31 (subsequently appeal number 80-52017-A), challenging the April 1 recall election on various grounds. Thereafter, both parties filed motions seeking summary judgment on the petition and said motions were heard on March 10, 1980. At the conclusion of the hearing the trial court sustained defendant's motion for summary judgment and denied plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. Thereafter, plaintiff duly perfected his appeals in both cases which were subsequently consolidated for briefing and hearing.
We shall first consider the issues in appeal number 80-52017-A, which arises from the second set of recall petitions. At the conclusion of the joint hearing of each party's motion for summary judgment, the court found the recall petitions to be legally sufficient and entered summary judgment in favor of defendant.
The issues raised by plaintiff are outlined as follows:
Defendant contends:
1. The recall petitions are legally sufficient;
We shall first determine whether the issues relative to the sufficiency of the recall petitions are legally moot by virtue of K.S.A. 1979 Supp. 25-4302, which provides:
The emphasized portion of the statute is plain and unambiguous. In such circumstances the court must give effect to the intention of the legislature as expressed, rather than determine what the law should or should not be. Johnson v. McArthur, 226 Kan. 128, 596 P.2d 148 (1979); Thomas County Taxpayers Ass'n v. Finney, 223 Kan. 434, 573 P.2d 1073 (1978); Lakeview Gardens, Inc. v. State, ex rel. Schneider, 221 Kan. 211, 557 P.2d 1286 (1976). In construing a statute, the language of which is plain, it is not the function of this court to search for reasons for its enactment. Holder v. Jochems, 167 Kan. 83, 204 P.2d 777 (1949).
The action herein was filed to prevent the recall election from being held. The election has been held and plaintiff has been recalled. Even if plaintiff's contentions relative to the sufficiency of the recall petitions are meritorious, K.S.A. 1979 Supp. 25-4302 *398 precludes the voiding of the election. In Burnett v. Doyen, 220 Kan. 400, 552 P.2d 928 (1976), this court stated:
Plaintiff anticipated and ably summarized the present posture of the case in his motion for injunction pending appeal when he stated:
"K.S.A. [1979 Supp.] 25-4302 provides in part:
The Court of Appeals denied the injunction; the election was held; plaintiff was recalled; and plaintiff's successor has been appointed and is now serving. We must conclude that all issues relative to the sufficiency of the recall petitions are legally moot by virtue of K.S.A. 1979 Supp. 25-4302.
*399 We turn now to the issues relative to the propriety of the trial court's conduct of the hearing herein. These issues are likewise legally moot as the election may not be voided even if this court were to conclude the trial court erred in the respects urged by plaintiff.
This brings us to the constitutional questions. Plaintiff states the issues and his position thereon as follows:
....
Plaintiff states the constitutional questions are only applicable if this court has determined that the grounds stated in the recall petitions herein are statutorily sufficient. Inasmuch as this court has concluded all issues relative to the sufficiency of the recall petitions are moot, the constitutional questions are inapplicable.
We turn now to the issues raised in appeal number 80-52018-A which arise from the first set of recall petitions. The issues raised by plaintiff are:
As noted in the factual summary, defendant, while this action was pending, voluntarily redetermined the sufficiency of the recall petitions, held them to be insufficient, and canceled the then scheduled March 4 election. The trial court subsequently dismissed the action as moot. Plaintiff's motion to alter or amend the dismissal order sought to convert the dismissal to a judgment on the merits of his petition. The action was brought to enjoin the March 4 election  the election was canceled. The action wholly accomplished its purpose. Why then does plaintiff challenge the technical form of his victory?
The answer to that question lies in the appeal herein determined. Defendant's redetermination and election cancellation occurred prior to the filing of the second set of recall petitions. However, the dismissal order was entered after such filing. K.S.A. 1979 Supp. 25-4326 provides that one of the factors to be considered by the clerk in determining the sufficiency of a recall petition is whether the officer sought to be recalled "is being subjected to another recall election."
If the sufficiency of the first petitions were to be determined by the court on their merits after the filing of the second set of recall petitions, then plaintiff would have been subject to "another recall election" at the time of their filing. This was one of plaintiff's challenges to the second set of recall petitions. When viewed in its proper light, appeal number 80-52018-A is in merely a sidecar to appeal number 80-52017-A previously determined to be wholly moot.
Whereas the issues raised herein could easily be disposed of on their merits, it would be incongruous to determine the issues of this sidecar appeal when the appeal to which they are attached has been declared moot. Plaintiff is seeking by these appeals to void his recall and to be reinstated to the office of Thomas County Commissioner. No ruling by this court in this appeal could grant relief to plaintiff and we must conclude the appeal is moot. See Burnett v. Doyen, 220 Kan. 400.
The appeals are dismissed as moot.