Opinion ID: 1963616
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: delegates to the constitutional convention are holders of an office created under the constitution or laws of this state.

Text: I reluctantly disagree with the majority on this issue because I think if the Constitutional Convention can constitutionally be held on September 12, 1967, the presence of a number of members of the present General Assembly as members of the Constitutional Convention would make a substantial contribution to the formulation of the new Constitution to be prepared by the Constitutional Convention for later submission to the electorate for approval or rejection. Many members of the present General Assembly have had great experience in the governmental problems of this State for a number of years, and their advice and counsel would be most helpful in framing a just, effective and well balanced Constitution for Maryland. In my opinion, however, the members of the proposed Constitutional Convention will hold an office or an office of profit or trust created by the Constitution or laws of this State. The applicable provisions of the Maryland Constitution  Article 33, Article 35 of the Declaration of Rights, Article I, Section 6, Article III, Sections 11 and 17  have been adequately set forth in the majority opinion and need not be repeated here. I agree with the majority that the need for and purpose of these provisions manifestly was to protect against conflicts of interest, self-aggrandizement, concentration of power, and the blurring or obliteration of the doctrine of separation of powers in the performance by the agents of the people of their delegated authorities to exercise the executive, legislative and judicial functions of the organized government. Many of the provisions are designed to remove the temptation of self-aggrandizement from members of the General Assembly, so that an objective, rather than a subjective, consideration governs those members in creating offices and in creating or increasing the compensation of offices. Although as the majority opinion points out (and I agree) the general power of a state legislature to make, alter and repeal laws pursuant to the constitution by which the people created the legislature, does not include the right to make or remake the fundamental laws, the constitution, in the Maryland Constitution, the functions of the General Assembly in regard to amendments to the existing Constitution and in regard to conventions to form a new constitution are, as has already been pointed out, expressly provided for in Article XIV, quoted above in full. It will be observed that delegates to a Convention to form a new constitution are specifically mentioned, as such, in Section 2 of Article XIV and Section 2 does give the General Assembly the power to provide for such delegates when the conditions set forth in Section 2 are met. Although this Court has never considered this precise question before, our prior decisions indicate to me that a delegate to a Constitutional Convention holds an office and an office of profit or trust. We have held, without exception, that persons who are elected by the people are public officers. In Buchholtz v. Hill, 178 Md. 280, 13 A.2d 348 (1940), our predecessors laid stress on the fact that the Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners of Allegany County was elected, in holding that he was a public official. See also Truitt v. Collins, 122 Md. 526, 89 Atl. 850 (1914) holding a city councilman of Snow Hill to be a public official, and Howard County Metropolitan Comm'n. v. Westphal, 232 Md. 334, 193 A.2d 56 (1963) and Hetrich v. County Comm'rs. of Anne Arundel County, 222 Md. 304, 159 A.2d 642 (1960) holding a county commissioner to be the holder of a public office. The Attorney General has generally advised that elected executives, legislators and judges, receiving compensation, are holders of public office under the Constitution or laws of Maryland. [2] We and our predecessors have given a broad and comprehensive interpretation to the word office in the Maryland Constitution. In 1964 we held that even a notary public was a public officer. Moser v. Board of County Comm'rs. of Howard County, 235 Md. 279, 201 A.2d 365. Prior to Moser it has been held that a variety of positions were public offices; in Howard County Metropolitan Comm'n. v. Westphal, supra, a member of the Howard County Metropolitan Commission; in Hetrich v. County Commissioners of Anne Arundel County, supra , the Anne Arundel County Business Manager; in State, use of Clark v. Ferling, 220 Md. 109, 151 A.2d 137 (1950), the Superintendent of the Maryland State Reformatory for Males; in Pressman v. D'Alesandro, 211 Md. 50, 125 A.2d 35 (1956), the Mayor, the City Comptroller and members of the City Council of Baltimore City; in Nesbitt v. Fallon, 203 Md. 534, 102 A.2d 284 (1954), a member of a county liquor board; in Buchholtz v. Hill, supra , the clerk to the Board of County Commissioners of Allegany County; in Kimble v. Bender, 173 Md. 608, 196 Atl. 409 (1938), a justice of the peace; in County Comm'rs. v. Monnett, 164 Md. 101, 164 Atl. 155 (1933), the Treasurer of Calvert County; in Day v. Sheriff of Montgomery County, 162 Md. 221, 159 Atl. 602 (1932), a police justice of Takoma Park; in Lilly v. Jones, 158 Md. 260, 148 Atl. 434 (1930), a member of the Port Development Commission of Baltimore City; in Truitt v. Collins, supra , a city councilman of Snow Hill; in Sappington v. Slade, 91 Md. 640, 48 Atl. 64 (1900), a supervisor of elections; in Robb v. Carter, 65 Md. 321, 4 Atl. 282 (1886), the City Solicitor of Baltimore City; in Harman v. Harwood, 58 Md. 1 (1882), the Register of Voters for a district in Anne Arundel County; and in Warfield v. County Comm'rs. of Baltimore County, 28 Md. 76 (1868), the Commissioner of Records to restore and re-establish records destroyed by fire in the office of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. In view of this wealth of prior authority, it is difficult to believe that a delegate to a Maryland Constitution would not also be a public officer and the holder of an office. In Moser v. Board of County Comm'rs. of Howard County, supra, we mentioned five criteria which are often present when a position has been held to be a public office, although the absence of one or more of these criteria would not be fatal to a holding that a particular position is a public office. As pointed out in the majority opinion, these criteria are: 1. The position was created by law and cast upon the incumbent duties which are continuing in nature and not occasional. 2. The incumbent performs an important duty. 3. The position calls for the exercise of some portion of the sovereign power of the State. 4. The position is for a definite term for which a Commission is issued, a bond required and an oath required. 5. The position is one of dignity and importance. In my opinion, all five criteria are present for the position of delegate to the Constitutional Convention.