Court Opinion

ID: 9878088
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-27 16:39:39.484489+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:47:31.474367
License: Public Domain

Troutman, J.
(dissenting). I agree with the majority in dismissing the appeal by respondent Erie County Board of Elections, but in my view Supreme Court should have granted the petition. I therefore respectfully dissent in part.
. Although I agree with the majority with respect to the issues of standing and the presumption of validity, I conclude that respondent New York State Committee of the Independence Party (State Committee) did not delegate authority to issue the Wilson-Pakula certificate of authorization (authorization) to respondent Executive Committee of the New York State Committee of the Independence Party (Executive Committee) in accordance with the Independence Party rules. Those rules state that delegation may be made “pursuant to a resolution adopted by the State Committee prior to the deadline to file authorization certificates.” That deadline is a date that occurs annually and is reset annually. Thus, contrary to the majority, I do not read the rules to allow a delegation to remain perpetually in effect, regardless of whether the resolutions themselves contain express language of expiration.
Moreover, the Independence Party’s past practice is inconsis*1138tent with the majority’s reading inasmuch as the party repeatedly issued resolutions for Erie County in 2008, 2011, and 2013. Had the 2008 resolution been effective unless explicitly revoked, there would have been no reason for the State Committee to issue redundant resolutions for Erie County in 2011 and 2013. Contrary to the view of the majority, I conclude that the inclusion of Nassau County in the 2011 resolution does not explain the need for issuing a redundant resolution for Erie County, particularly in light of the fact that the 2008 and 2013 resolutions both related to Erie County only. Indeed, the State Committee did not merely issue a resolution in 2011, but it even litigated the validity of that resolution for Erie County in Matter of New York State Comm. of the Independence Party v New York State Bd. of Elections (87 AD3d 806 [2011], lv denied 17 NY3d 706 [2011]). In that case, the State Committee does not appear to have argued that its 2011 delegation to the Executive Committee was valid based on the perpetual existence of the 2008 resolution (see id. at 809-812), notwithstanding that the 2008 resolution had been judicially enforced for Erie County (see Matter of Peluso v Erie County Independence Party, 66 AD3d 1329, 1330-1331 [2009]). Therefore, in my view, the authorization issued by the Executive Committee here was not authorized by the rules and thus is invalid (see Election Law § 6-120 [3]).
Present — Centra, J.P., NeMoyer, Troutman, Winslow and Scudder, JJ.