Source: http://fromthefrontstoop.blogspot.com/2014/02/heres-thing.html
Timestamp: 2018-03-24 10:05:21
Document Index: 469554218

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 40']

------ Lawn: Here's the thing
Here are six things you need to know regarding the status of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack now that a federal jury has found him guilty in the corruption case. Some of this information we have posted before but it bears repeating.
# 1: He is still mayor unless and until he resigns OR the office is deemed vacant. The state law covering this is as follows:
§ 40A:16-3. When office deemed vacant
The office of a mayor or a member of the governing body of a municipality shall be deemed vacant:
Got it? In this particular matter, Tony Mack must resign or a STATE judge, upon petition from the NJ Attorney General or the (Mercer County) Prosecutor sign an order vacating the office. Otherwise, Mack is mayor until Judge Shipp declares the office vacant upon sentencing.
(NOTE: when we say the office is vacated, that refers to a permanent situation, not a temporary absence. Temporary absences can not continue beyond 60 days and would lead to a possible declaration of the office being vacant).
Currently, both the Trentonian and the Times are reporting the order is not likely to be signed until sometime Monday. So, we wait.
# 2: Who becomes the mayor upon the office being vacated?
§ 40A:9-131. Acting mayor
So, South Ward Councilman George Muschal, would become the acting mayor upon the vacation of the office.
# 3: How long does the Council President serve as acting mayor?
§ 40A:16-12. Appointment to fill vacancy where incumbent was not nominee of a political party; time to fill vacancy
If the incumbent whose office has become vacant was not elected to office as the nominee of a political party, the governing body may, within 30 days of the occurrence of the vacancy, appoint a successor to fill the vacancy without regard to party.
The governing body has 30 days to appoint a successor to fill the vacancy.
# 4: How many votes does it take to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor?
§ 40A:16-6. Vote required to fill vacancy in office of mayor
An appointment to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor shall be by a majority vote of the entire membership of the governing body.
There are seven members of council. A majority is four. The “nominee” can vote for him or her self.
# 5: What happens if council fails to appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the office of mayor within that 30 day time span?
§ 40A:16-14. Special election to fill vacancy in the office of mayor; limitation on authority to appoint
No appointment shall be made by a governing body to fill a vacancy occurring in the office of a mayor after the fixing of a date for a special election to fill the vacancy pursuant to this section.
So, if the governing body fails to appoint someone to the vacancy within the 30 day window, the council president remains as the acting mayor because we are within the final 6 months of the term.
# 6: What happens to the council president’s seat on the governing body when he becomes the acting mayor?
To answer that, we look at the following court case:
DeSoto v. Smith, 383 N.J. Super. 384, 891 A.2d 1241, 2006 N.J. Super. LEXIS 54 (App. Div. 2006)
As the result of applying Section 40A:9-131, a municipal attorney was terminated by the Council President who became acting mayor and council president temporarily pursuant to N.J. Stat. Ann. § 40A:9-131. In an effort to defeat the acting mayor’s dismissal, it was argued that section 131, which allowed the council president to serve as both acting mayor and council president, violated the “separation of powers” doctrine. However the Court ruled that the doctrine of separation of powers was not generally applicable to a Faulkner Act mayor-council government, because the design of the Faulkner Act provided for checks and balances which would enable the Council by a 2/3 majority vote to nullify the acting mayor’s dismissal under N.J. Stat. Ann. § 40:69A-43(c).
So, the succession in office law (40A:16-12) provides 30 days within which the council is to select an acting mayor pending the holding of an election (or for the unexpired balance of the term of the former mayor, depending on the time of the vacancy). Pending that, the Council President becomes acting Mayor as well as Council President.
Muschal would serve as both acting mayor and south ward councilman/council president.
Posted by Old Mill Hill at 4:05 PM
Labels: convicted, council president, George Muschal, guilty, Mayor Mack, succession
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