Opinion ID: 1629807
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Appointments to Offices Occupied by Holdover Incumbents.

Text: Respondents Gibson, Jankowski, Phillips, and Hanson were appointed after the August 6th adjournment, to succeed incumbents who had been confirmed in office by the senate, and who were holding over after the expiration of their terms. None of the appointments have been confirmed by the senate. Since the legislature was in recess (as opposed to not in session) when these appointments were made, and since the offices were not vacant within the meaning of sec. 17.20 (2), Stats., it follows that the appointments of the above-named respondents were ineffective in the absence of confirmation and that the incumbents Keliher, Rahr, O'Hara, and Charles Smith may hold over in office until their successors are duly appointed and confirmed by the senate. Respondent Morton was appointed to the investment board on September 26, 1963, to succeed the incumbent Graner, whose appointment had been confirmed by the senate. Sec. 25.155, Stats., pertaining to trustees of the investment board, provides in part that all appointed trustees shall serve until their successors have been appointed and have qualified. Graner is the only incumbent holding office after expiration of his term under such a statutory holdover clause. Where there is an express statutory provision for holding over after expiration of an appointive term, it is even more clear that the office is not vacant within the meaning of sec. 17.20 (2). See 43 Am. Jur., Public Officers, p. 236, sec. 484, where it is stated that one who has the legal right to continue in office after expiration of his term is an officer de jure, and not de facto. It follows that the appointment of respondent Morton to replace Graner was ineffective in the absence of confirmation. Respondent Otto was appointed to the industrial commission during the recess to succeed the incumbent Knutson, whose appointment had been confirmed by the senate. The senate has taken no action on Otto's appointment. Otto argues that the office was vacant for the reason that the incumbent Knutson was a participating employee under the Wisconsin retirement fund, and therefore subject to the compulsory-retirement provisions of sec. 66.906 (1), Stats., of the Retirement Act. Knutson had reached the age of sixty-five in July, 1955, and his last appointment to the commission was in August, 1963, when he was seventy-three years of age. Sec. 66.906 (1) (a), Stats., provides, in part, that any participating employee who has attained the age of sixty-five shall be retired at the end of the month in which such age is attained unless written notice is received by the retirement board that the body by which he is employed has specifically authorized such employee to continue in employment for a period not to exceed one year beyond such date. Knutson argues that even though no written notice was given as required by statute, the fact that the governor appointed him after he had reached the age of sixty-five satisfied the authorization and notice requirement for the reason that the retirement board takes judicial notice of the appointment. Otto contends that under State ex rel. Brunkhorst v. Krenn (1959), 8 Wis. (2d) 116, 123, 98 N. W. (2d) 394, a vacancy existed in the office. It was stated in Brunkhorst that if the retirement of an employee or public officer is mandatory upon the happening of certain circumstances, it follows that upon the happening of those circumstances there is a vacancy in the office occupied by him. This court then held that when circumstances occur which invoke mandatory retirement, there is a vacancy in the office concerned within the purview of sec. 17.03, Stats. Even if the governor's appointment of Knutson in July, 1963, operated as an authorization and notice to the retirement board, it ceased to be effective as such on October 1, 1963, at the end of his term. In the instant action no written notice of an authorization for the continuation of Knutson in office beyond October 1, 1963, was filed with the retirement board as required by sec. 66.906 (1) (a), Stats. Therefore, Knutson's retirement became mandatory pursuant to the provision of that section. It follows that there was a vacancy in Knutson's office within the meaning of sec. 17.03 on October 7, 1963, when Otto was appointed. The appointment of Otto to succeed Knutson as a member of the industrial commission was therefore valid and effective when made and Otto is entitled to hold such membership unless and until rejected by the senate. Respondent Barnstable was appointed to the board of examiners in chiropractic while the legislature was in recess. The incumbent Hidde had been appointed to the post in 1962, during an interim period, for a term ending April 1, 1967, but his appointment was never confirmed by the senate. The attorney general argues that Hidde held office only at the pleasure of the governor and that therefore the appointment of Barnstable operated as a removal of Hidde, thus creating a vacancy in the office within the meaning of secs. 17.03 and 17.20 (2), Stats. Hidde argues that he was holding over in office and that his situation is no different than that of the other holdovers, notwithstanding the fact that his original appointment was never confirmed by the senate. Under sec. 17.07 (4), Stats., state officers appointed by the governor alone may be removed by the governor at pleasure. That section also provides that all officers appointed by the governor during the recess of the legislature whose appointments are required to be later confirmed by the senate shall be deemed to be appointed by the governor alone until so confirmed. Under the plain language of sec. 17.07 (4), it is clear that the appointment of Barnstable to succeed the unconfirmed incumbent Hidde, who held office only at the pleasure of the governor, operated to remove Hidde from office, and thus created a vacancy within the meaning of sec. 17.20 (2). It follows that the appointment of Barnstable to the board of examiners in chiropractic was valid and effective when made and he may continue in this post unless and until rejected by the senate. By the Court. Judgment is entered adjudging and determining as follows: 1. The following appointments, made by the governor, were valid and effective without the consent of the senate, when made, and upon qualifying as required by law the respondents hereinafter named became entitled to hold office thereunder until acted upon by the senate: Howard J. Koop, appointed on October 8, 1963, as commissioner of administration; Frank P. Zeidler, appointed on September 26, 1963, as director of the department of resource development; member of the public service commission; David Adamany, appointed on September 19, 1963, as a member of the public service commission; George W. Otto, appointed on October 7, 1963, as a member of the industrial commission; Mrs. Joseph Melli, appointed on September 26, 1963, as a member of the state board of public welfare; J. W. Barnstable, appointed on October 7, 1963, as a member of the state board of examiners in chiropractic. 2. The appointment of Patrick J. Lucey as a trustee of the state of Wisconsin investment board made by the governor on September 23, 1963, was valid and effective without the consent of the senate, when made, and upon qualifying as required by law he became entitled to hold office thereunder until acted upon by the senate. No determination is now made of any challenge to his eligibility to serve in such office. 3. The following appointments, made by the governor, were ineffective without the consent of the senate: John Gibson, appointed on October 8, 1963, as state auditor to succeed incumbent J. Jay Keliher; Walter O. Morton, appointed on September 26, 1963, as trustee of the state of Wisconsin investment board to succeed incumbent Frank M. Graner; Harold J. Jankowski, appointed on October 10, 1963, as member of the state conservation commission to succeed incumbent Guido Rahr; Dale Phillips, appointed on September 26, 1963, as member of the savings and loan advisory committee to succeed incumbent Catherine J. O'Hara; Martin W. Hanson, appointed on September 26, 1963, as member of the state conservation commission to succeed incumbent Charles F. Smith. And the incumbents above named were entitled to continue to hold their respective offices notwithstanding such appointments without the consent of the senate. 4. No written authorization for the continuation of Reuben Knutson in office as a member of the industrial commission after October 1, 1963, having been filed as required by sec. 66.906 (1) (a), Stats., his said office became vacant. 5. The appointment by the governor of O. L. Hidde as a member of the state board of examiners in chiropractic not having been consented to by the senate, the governor's appointment of a successor on October 7, 1963, operated as a removal of O. L. Hidde from said office. 6. It is the duty of Dena A. Smith as state treasurer to pay salaries provided for the various offices involved herein consistent with the determination made in this judgment. BEILFUSS, J., took no part.