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Kelly v. City of New Haven9/27/2005
e insignificant discrepancies among exam candidates."
B.
Before turning to the merits of this appeal, we first set forth the standard of review that governs this issue. " he scope of our appellate review depends upon the proper characterization of the rulings made by the trial court. To the extent that the trial court has made findings of fact, our review is limited to deciding whether such findings were clearly erroneous. When, however, the trial court draws conclusions of law, our review is plenary and we must decide whether its conclusions are legally and logically correct and find support in the facts that appear in the record." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Blumenthal v. Kimber Mfg., Inc., 265 Conn. 1, 7, 826 A.2d 1088 (2003).
"As with any issue of statutory construction, the interpretation of a charter or municipal ordinance presents a question of law, over which our review is plenary." Broadnax v. New Haven, 270 Conn. 133, 160, 851 A.2d 1113 (2004). We turn, therefore, to our usual tools of statutory construction. In determining whether the city's methodology violates the statutory scheme of the charter, "we seek to determine, in a reasoned manner, the meaning of the statutory language as applied to the facts of case . . . . In seeking to determine that meaning, we look to the words of the statute itself, to the legislative history and circumstances surrounding its enactment, to the legislative policy it was designed to implement, and to its relationship to existing legislation and common law principles governing the same general subject matter." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Lombardo's Ravioli Kitchen, Inc. v. Ryan, 268 Conn. 222, 230-31, 842 A.2d 1089 (2004).
In construing the civil service provisions of the charter, we are always mindful of "the importance of maintaining the integrity of [the city's civil service] system." Broadnax v. New Haven, supra, 270 Conn. 161. "Soon after the formation of political parties in this country, the maxim ` o the victor belong the spoils' became current and its wide application gave birth to the so-called `spoils system.' This in turn resulted in political scandals which have rocked the nation to its foundation. In an attempt to remedy this condition, various forms of merit systems have been adopted aimed to obtain qualified appointees and to ensure them a tenure of office free from interference on political or religious grounds." State ex rel. McNamara v. Civil Service Commission, 128 Conn. 585, 588, 24 A.2d 846 (1942).
It is these purposes that have undergirded the city's civil service legislation. "The [civil service] law provides for a complete system of procedure designed to secure appointment to public positions of those whose merit and fitness has been determined by examination, and to eliminate as far as practicable the element of partisanship and personal favoritism in making appointments. . . . A civil service statute is mandatory as to every requirement." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Broadnax v. New Haven, supra, 270 Conn. 161.
C.
In order to ensure that candidates are appointed on the basis of merit and fitness, without partisanship and personal favoritism, the charter and the civil service rules that have been promulgated under it set certain express requirements. The charter and the civil service rules require, inter alia: (1) a competitive examination that, in a fair, nondiscriminatory manner, measures skills needed for the position; (2) a grading scale of 100 points; and (3) a passing grade of at least 70 percent. See New Haven Charter, art. XXX, ยงยง 160, 167 and 172. Unquestionably, beyond these limitations, the charter vests broad authority in th
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