Opinion ID: 1724146
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: should fitzpatrick vacate any or all offices held as required by article i, section 2, of the mississippi constitution?

Text: Since Fitzpatrick, as an employee of the Board, does not exercise any executive or judicial powers, he is not required to vacate any office for purposes of Article I, § 2. Ball, however, also contends that Fitzpatrick should have to vacate his office on the City Council by virtue of Section 18 of the Charter of Columbus, Mississippi (1884): [I]f ... any councilman shall accept any other office in this state, the office of such ... councilman shall thereby become vacant... . The charter was not introduced at trial. Ball contends that he referred to the charter in his brief to the lower court and that this Court should take judicial notice of it since it is a public act. White v. Thomason, 310 So.2d 914, 917 (Miss. 1975). Even so, Ball did not allege in his complaint that Fitzpatrick's actions violated the charter and there was no testimony regarding any violation of the charter. Thus, this issue is not properly before this Court. We note that the statute authorizing the position of veteran service officer has since been amended. Miss. Code Ann. § 35-3-21 (1972) now provides: County veteran service officers may be employed, in the discretion of the boards of supervisors, either full time or part time, but may not hold any other elective or appointive position. However, this paragraph shall not apply to county veteran service officers who may be serving in such capacity before March 31, 1990. (emphasis added). It appears that Fitzpatrick presently comes under the exception of the amended statute. We hold that Fitzpatrick's positions with Lowndes County and his position with the City of Columbus are not held in violation of Miss. Const. art. I, §§ 1-2, in that his positions with the Board are ministerial and do not require that he exercise executive or judicial powers. The lower court's judgment is affirmed. AFFIRMED. DAN M. LEE, P.J. and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, and BANKS, JJ. concur. BANKS, J., concurs with separate written opinion joined by ROBERTSON, J. McRAE, J. dissents with separate written opinion joined by HAWKINS, P.J., and SULLIVAN and PITTMAN, JJ.