Opinion ID: 2631929
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: COCA's Opinion and the System's Certiorari Arguments

Text: ¶ 7 COCA ruled the trial court (1) properly declared the City's employment of Cummings as fire chief to be in violation of the maximum-age requirement in a fire department, as provided by the terms of § 49-135, [20] and that he is ineligible to be a System member and (2) did not abuse its discretion in denying the System the relief it requested by ordering the City to terminate Cummings' employment. According to COCA, the System's interest was satisfied when it obtained a declaration that Cummings was ineligible for admission to the pension system. Further, the legislature provided no remedy for a violation of the § 49-135 [21] terms. COCA contrasted the lack of a statutory remedy for § 49-135 with the express relief provided for a violation of the provisions of § 49-138 through § 49-142 [22] (whose terms deal with the crediting of military service to a firefighter's pension). According to COCA, no authority is present in the § 49-135 terms that would allow the System to require the City to terminate Cummings' employment as fire chief. ¶ 8 Lastly, although at nisi prius the City's response and counter-motion was bottomed on invidious age discrimination and its consequent legal position should it be ordered to terminate Cummings, [23] the trial judge found Cummings' age was not a public-safety factor and refused to order his employment's termination. Because neither the City nor Cummings appealed from the district court's decision, and the System merely responded to this argument below, COCA correctly ruled that this issue was not preserved for review. [24] COCA's conclusion draws added strength from the City's and Cummings' failure to seek certiorari review of COCA's refusal to consider age discrimination as an issue on appeal. COCA's position meets with our approval. Age discrimination will hence not be addressed by today's opinion. ¶ 9 COCA's ruling, according to the System, poses a challenge to its authority to enforce the governing statutes. It urges (1) COCA erred in concluding there is no statutory authority on which to bottom the System's request to require the City to terminate Cummings' employment and (2) the district court has the authority to grant the relief sought under the authority of the Declaratory Judgments Act, 12 O.S. § 1651 et seq. [25]