Opinion ID: 1846299
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Does state statute require the mayor to resubmit his directors once he is re-elected?

Text: ¶ 16. State law governing the mayor-council system requires that the mayor nominate the directors of the city departments; the nominated directors may only serve if approved by the council. Miss. Code Ann. § 21-8-23(2) (Rev.2007). The statute also provides that [e]ach director shall serve during the term of office of the mayor appointing him, and until the appointment and qualification of his successor. Miss.Code Ann. § 21-8-23(2) (Rev. 2007). The parties do not dispute that a mayor cannot unilaterally hire directors without the approval of the council. The question presented today is whether a mayor must resubmit directors who have been previously approved at the beginning of a new term of office. ¶ 17. Where the statute is plain and unambiguous there is no room for construction. Bailey v. Al-Mefty, 807 So.2d 1203, 1206 (Miss.2001) (internal quotation and citation omitted). Further, [t]he primary rule of construction is to ascertain the intent of the legislature from the statute as a whole and from the language used therein, and we may look not only to the language used but also to its historical background, its subject matter, and the purposes and objects to be accomplished. Id. at 1206 (internal quotation and citation omitted). ¶ 18. In his appeal, the mayor urges that the statute itself is silent when directors should be presented to the council for approval, regardless of whether it is during a first term or successive term of office. While the statute may not be explicit, it is not silent. ¶ 19. The statute clearly vests in the council checks and balances on the executive powers of the mayor. A plain reading of the statute supports the conclusion that the term of office is to be read in the singular, meaning that a director, once confirmed, serves only for the term of the mayor nominating him. As the trial court reasoned, the mayor and the council members each serve four-year terms. See Miss.Code Ann. § 21-8-7(2) (Rev.2007). Accordingly, the council members who originally confirmed the nomination of a director may no longer be on the council at the beginning of the new term. As discussed supra, the checks and balances on executive power vested in each council member are unique and separate abilities not shared by members of the general public. An interpretation which allowed those council members who were present when a mayor first took office to have greater powers than those council members present at the beginning of the new term of office would subvert the statutory scheme. ¶ 20. Additionally, it is not uncommon for mayors to serve multiple terms, and in some extreme cases, remain in office for decades. The council, as a legislative body, would be stripped of valuable checks and balances that preserve the separation of powers if a mayor could simply shield his or her decisions with political longevity. A contrary construction of the statute where the simple re-election of a mayor would nullify the checks and balances on executive power expressly created by the Legislature would disregard the clear intention of that body. We shall not disregard the clear intent of the Legislature to create these checks and balances. [2] ¶ 21. This result has previously been reached by the Attorney General in multiple written opinions on the subject, including one involving the parties and facts at hand, and dating back to at least 1994. The opinions state that department directors are appointed for a term commensurate and coterminous with the term of the appointing mayor and opine that a re-elected mayor must resubmit holdover directors. Miss. Atty. Gen. Op. Opinion No. 2006-0058, 2006 WL 1900672,  (Feb. 24, 2006). While an attorney general's opinion is not binding on this Court, it is persuasive, and it further underscores our analysis. See State ex rel. Holmes v. Griffin, 667 So.2d 1319, 1326 (Miss.1995). ¶ 22. Accordingly, a mayor shall resubmit directors for approval by the council if the mayor is re-elected, even if the director is a holdover from the previous term.