Ortiz-Pinero v. Rivera-Arroyo

Decision Date28 February 1996
Docket NumberNo. 95-2167,I,P,RIVERA-ARROY,ORTIZ-PINER,95-2167
PartiesWillie Victorlaintiff, Appellant, v. Victorndividually and as Mayor of Gurabo, et al., Defendants, Appellees. . Heard
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit

Carlos A. Del Valle Cruz, Hato Rey, PR, for appellant.

Elisa Bobonis Lang, Hato Rey, PR, with whom Jose R. Gaztambide and Gaztambide & Plaza were on brief for appellees.

Before TORRUELLA, Chief Judge, COFFIN, Senior Circuit Judge, and CYR, Circuit Judge.

CYR, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff Willie Victor Ortiz Pinero ("Ortiz") appeals from a district court judgment dismissing his political discrimination claims against the City of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and its incumbent Mayor. We affirm.

I BACKGROUND

In 1981, the City of Gurabo enacted an ordinance, pursuant to P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 3, § 1351, designating eleven municipal offices as positions of "trust" or "confidentiality," including the directorship of the Office of Federal Programs ("OFP"), the municipal agency charged with obtaining and administering federal funding for various public works projects. See Municipal Ordinance No. 3, Series 1981-82 (Sept. 14, 1981).

In August 1991, then-Mayor Ramon Garcia Caraballo appointed Ortiz, a fellow member of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), as OFP Director, and allegedly described the position to Ortiz as a non-"confidence" position. Mayor Caraballo later extended Ortiz' appointment through August 1993. In November 1992, however, after the PDP mayoral candidate was rejected by the electorate, outgoing Mayor Caraballo notified Ortiz that he should resign forthwith because the OFP directorship was a "confidential" position which the new administration was entitled to fill. Ortiz refused to resign. Thereafter, the incoming New Progressive Party (NPP) mayor, defendant-appellee Willie Victor Rivera-Arroyo ("Rivera"), dismissed Ortiz.

In due course, Ortiz initiated the present action for damages and reinstatement under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the City of Gurabo and Mayor Rivera, claiming political discrimination and deprivation of his property interest in continued employment without the benefit of a pretermination hearing, in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The defendants moved for summary judgment on the ground that the OFP directorship is a "trust" position for which compatible political affiliation constitutes a legitimate qualification. See Branti v. Finkel, 445 U.S. 507, 100 S.Ct. 1287, 63 L.Ed.2d 574 (1980); Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 96 S.Ct. 2673, 49 L.Ed.2d 547 (1976). Their motion was accompanied by a written "certification" from the City personnel office defining the responsibilities of the OFP directorship. 1 After determining that the evidence compelled a finding that the OFP directorship is a trust position, the district court granted summary judgment for defendants on all claims. Ortiz Pinero v. Rivera Acevedo, 900 F.Supp. 574 (D.P.R.1995).

II DISCUSSION
A. Standard of Review

We review de novo, to determine whether the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See O'Connor v. Steeves, 994 F.2d 905, 906-07 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 634, 126 L.Ed.2d 593 (1993). Although all competent evidence and reasonable inferences are viewed in the light most favorable to Ortiz, he cannot carry the day on mere " 'conclusory allegations, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation.' " Id. (quoting Medina-Munoz v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 896 F.2d 5, 8 (1st Cir.1990)).

B. First Amendment Claim
1. Applicable Law

In a political discrimination case, the plaintiff first must show that party affiliation Whether a government position is "political" does not depend upon such loose-fitting labels as "confidential" or "policymaking," but on the substance of the duties inherent in the position itself. Branti, 445 U.S. at 518, 100 S.Ct. at 1294-95 (noting: "a position may be appropriately considered political even though it is neither confidential nor policymaking in character," and, by the same token, party affiliation is not a relevant consideration for all policymaking or confidential positions); see Romero Feliciano v. Torres Gaztambide, 836 F.2d 1, 3 (1st Cir.1987) (abjuring reliance on "rigid labels" in Branti /Elrod analysis).

                was a substantial or motivating factor for the challenged action.   See Mount Healthy City Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ. v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274, 287, 97 S.Ct. 568, 576, 50 L.Ed.2d 471 (1977);  Jirau-Bernal v. Agrait, 37 F.3d 1, 3 (1st Cir.1994). 2  The burden then shifts to defendants to establish either a nondiscriminatory reason for the dismissal, see Ferrer v. Zayas, 914 F.2d 309, 311 (1st Cir.1990), or that plaintiff held a "political" position for which party affiliation constituted an appropriate qualification for continued employment, see Branti, 445 U.S. at 518, 100 S.Ct. at 1294-95;  De Choudens v. Government Dev.  Bank of P.R., 801 F.2d 5, 8 (1st Cir.1986), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1013, 107 S.Ct. 1886, 95 L.Ed.2d 494 (1987).   Thus, the Branti /Elrod defense is designed to ensure that "representative government not be undercut by tactics obstructing the implementation of policies of the new administration, policies presumably sanctioned by the electorate."  Elrod, 427 U.S. at 367, 96 S.Ct. at 2687
                

We employ a two-part inquiry to identify "political" positions under the Branti /Elrod analysis:

First, we inquire whether the overall functions of the employee's department or agency involve "decision making on issues where there is room for political disagreement on goals or their implementation." Second, we decide whether the particular responsibilities of the plaintiff's position, within the department or agency, resemble those of "a policymaker, privy to confidential information, a communicator, or some other office holder whose function is such that party affiliation is an equally appropriate requirement" for continued tenure. Among the indicia material to the second element are " 'relative pay, technical competence, power to control others, authority to speak in the name of policymakers, public perception, influence on programs, contact with elected officials, and responsiveness to partisan politics and political leaders.' "

O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 910 (quoting Jimenez Fuentes v. Torres Gaztambide, 807 F.2d 236, 241-42 (1st Cir.1986) (en banc), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1014, 107 S.Ct. 1888, 95 L.Ed.2d 496 (1987)) (other citations omitted).

Although obviously fact-intensive, the ultimate determination whether a government position is "political" presents a question of law for the court, rather than an issue of fact for jury resolution. See McGurrin Ehrhard v. Connolly, 867 F.2d 92, 93 (1st Cir.1989) (Breyer, J.) (noting that the "important constitutional and governmental interests surrounding the application of the [Branti /Elrod ] exception" make it more suitable for determination by the court). Examining all competent evidence in the light most favorable to Ortiz, we conduct a de novo assessment of the relevant factors, see In re Extradition of Howard, 996 F.2d 1320, 1327 (1st Cir.1993) (plenary appellate review generally accorded issues of law), and "make a common sense judgment in light of the fundamental purpose to be served [by the Branti /Elrod analysis]." Jimenez Fuentes, 807 F.2d at 242.

2. The OFP and "Partisan Political Interests "

The OFP is charged with marshaling and administering the million or so dollars obtained annually from federal agencies, and with doling it out for various public works projects within the municipality. Thus, the

                OFP unmistakably is a municipal "department or agency [whose overall functions] involve 'decision making on issues where there is room for political disagreement on goals or their implementation.' "  O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 910 (citations omitted).   Indeed, its inherent responsibilities inevitably entail the kinds of discretionary decisions traditionally associated with municipal politics. 3  Accordingly, we conclude that defendants met the first-prong test under Jimenez Fuentes. 4
                
3. The Duties Inherent in the OFP Directorship

Under the second prong, we examine any evidence the defendants may have adduced that "the particular responsibilities of the plaintiff's position, within the [OFP], resemble those of 'a policymaker, privy to confidential information, a communicator, or some other office holder whose function is such that party affiliation is an equally appropriate requirement' for continued tenure." O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 910 (citations omitted) (emphasis added).

a) Lack of Written Job Description

Ortiz first argues that summary judgment is precluded because the City of Gurabo has no official, written job description (a.k.a. Form OP-16) for its OFP Director, nor indeed for any of its municipal employees. He relies upon cases in which we have held that courts should determine the duties inherent in a particular position by examining the governmental entity's written, signed job descriptions, rather than the duties actually performed by the plaintiff or prior occupants of the position in question. See, e.g., Mendez-Palou v. Rohena-Betancourt, 813 F.2d 1255, 1260 (1st Cir.1987). Ortiz would have us conclude that the absence of any written job description, combined with conflicting circumstantial evidence as to the duties performed by the OFP director, leaves unresolved issues of material fact which preclude summary judgment. See Romero Feliciano, 836 F.2d at 3 ("[W]e have considered the OP-16 dispositive in other Puerto Rico political discrimination cases...."). In so doing, Ortiz misconstrues our precedents and the nature of the issue under consideration.

Although written, signed job descriptions...

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