Opinion ID: 1287520
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Abolition of the Office and Modification of the Term

Text: Appellant also enumerates as error the finding of the trial court that the present Act does not violate that portion of the Georgia Constitution, Art. III, Sec. VII, Par. XV (Code Ann. § 2-1915) which provides, No office to which a person has been elected shall be abolished, nor the term of the office shortened or lengthened by local or special bill during the term for which such person was elected unless the same be approved by the people ... in a referendum... This court has determined the legislature can deal with the subject of qualification and disqualification of county commissioners so long as it does not impinge on any other limitation of the State or Federal Constitutions. Wilson v. Harris, 170 Ga. 800, supra. Prior to the 1945 Constitution, the legislature had the power to abolish the office and to lengthen or shorten terms. See Wilson, supra. The present Constitution (Code Ann. § 2-1915) now provides that this power can only be exercised by the legislature with the people's approval by referendum. See also Houlihan v. Saussy, 206 Ga. 1, 4 (55 SE2d 557) (1949). Appellant asserts here that the enactment of the recall provision in this Act violates this provision of the Constitution. Actually, the provisions of the present Act do not affect the term of the office of county commissioner. See, e.g., Bleckley v. Vickers, 225 Ga. 593, supra. It merely provides an election mechanism for removing a particular person from the office. The recall of an officeholder under this Act does not abolish or modify the term of the office. It merely creates a vacancy in the office. To abolish an office means to abrogate, annihilate, destroy, extinguish, or put an end to it. Webb v. Echols, 211 Ga. 724, 726 (88 SE2d 625) (1955). Since we find that this recall procedure does not abolish, shorten or lengthen the term of office, the prohibition in § 2-1915 does not apply. We do not have to reach the question of whether this recall election constituted a referendum under § 2-1915 which would authorize the abolition or modification of the term of office. In summary, we find the present Act does not by its terms remove anyone from office nor abolish, lengthen or shorten a term of office. Instead, it installs a recall provision for county commissioners in Douglas County. The term of office which they occupy remains the same and if they are recalled by the electorate and are not subsequently reelected by the voters, their successors merely complete the unexpired term of their offices.