Opinion ID: 1666350
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether section 21 of the special charter of the city of aberdeen grants to the mayor the usual powers inherent in the executive branch of government as set out in article i, sections 1 and 2 of the mississippi constitution of 1890.

Text: ¶ 8. The Chancellor is correct in his finding that the special charter of the City of Aberdeen grants the Mayor myriad responsibilities. Section 21 of that Charter charges the Mayor with the responsibility to see that the laws and ordinances thereof are strictly enforced, to inspect the conduct of subordinate officers, and see that their duties are performed; he shall report, from time to time, to the council, all delinquencies on the part of such officers, and communicate such information, and recommend such measures, as he may deem beneficial to the health, security, and good order and government of the corporation; he shall also have power to fill all vacancies that may occur in the subordinate officers of said city. And the said mayor shall also have the power to take and certify ... the proof and acknowledgment of deeds, and other instruments of writings ... such proof or acknowledgment to be sufficient for the lawful registration of such deeds.... He shall, also, ... be ex-officio a justice of the peace, and a notary public... and likewise to administer all oaths.... 1854 Miss. Laws, 100, § 21. ¶ 9. The Chancellor correctly states that § 21 of the Special Charter of Aberdeen gives the Mayor the power to appoint subordinate officers only to fill a vacancy of an officer who was properly appointed by the city council but then fails to serve out his full term. Furthermore, the City of Aberdeen in April of 1958 passed Council Resolution No. 246 which expressly provided that: The city council shall annually appoint the said city attorney or attorney at law for the municipality for a term to expire not later than the first Tuesday of May of each year, prescribe his duties, and fix his compensation as provided by law. ¶ 10. The Mayor argues that when the Charter states that he has power to fill all vacancies that may occur in the subordinate  offices of the City that it implies the Mayor's power of appointment to any offices not specifically granted to the council. This is an incorrect reading of the City of Aberdeen Special Charter because the Charter specifically gives such power to the city council, not the Mayor. Section 8 of the Special Charter of Aberdeen grants the city council, to be constituted by said mayor and selectmen, the power to appoint a city clerk, assistant Marshall for keeping order, tax assessor, tax collector, treasurer, city surveyor, and appoint such other officers as it may deem necessary, for such terms of office, and with such regulations as it may, by ordinance, prescribe. 1854 Miss. Laws, 100, § 8. ¶ 11. This specifically gives the city council, not the Mayor acting alone, the power to appoint city personnel not specifically mentioned in the special charter. The Chancellor is correct in dismissing the Mayor's argument that under the separation of powers he should appoint all officers as the chief executive officer. This argument fails because the Aldermen do not appoint the subordinate officers, rather the city council composed of both the Mayor and the Aldermen appoint the subordinate officers. 1854 Miss. Laws, 100, § 8. ¶ 12. This Court has recognized that local government has numerous positions and groups which consist of a mix of administrative and legislative characteristics. See Edwards v. Weeks, 633 So.2d 1035 (Miss.1994). As the Chancellor so aptly put it, [t]he combination of the Mayor and Aldermen working together as one body is not new to this state.