Nader Maroun, former Syracuse lawmaker, auditor, now working as city council aide

Syracuse, N.Y. — Nader Maroun knew what he would not do after his four-year term as city auditor ended — retire.

Fortunately for the 77-year-old, an opportunity surfaced during his final weeks in office. The Syracuse Common Council’s longtime legislative aide, James Conroy, departed in December for a position in the Onondaga County Comptroller’s Office.

Maroun jumped at the chance to fill the job, which assists the council president and nine city lawmakers with researching legislation. In addition to his four years as city auditor, Maroun served as a common councilor himself from from 1987 through 1989 and again from 2010 through 2017.

“I love the city,” said Maroun, who officially started the new job on Jan. 1. “I live here. I want to be a part of it. I felt like God provided me this opportunity, and I wanted to seize it.”

Councilor Pat Hogan said the choice of Maroun, which the council and city clerk supported, was a “perfect fit.”

“We need somebody who is a knowledgeable person and can move seemlessly in,” Hogan said. “He’s got a lot of experience, he knows government. ... Nader is dogged in his pursuit of finding out the information that the council needs.”

Maroun’s annual salary in the new position will be $71,243. That’s an increase over the $66,693 he earned in his final year as auditor.

Maroun’s desire to remain involved in city government is what prompted him to run unopposed for the auditor in 2019, shortly after he retired as a common councilor due to term limits. He wanted to remain for another term as auditor, but lost in a Democratic primary to Alexander Marion.

“I never thought about retirement,” Maroun said.

With his city hall experience, Maroun also views his new job as a chance to provide some guidance to the less experienced common council members. Three new councilors started this year.

“That institutional knowledge was there for me when I first started on council,” he said. “This was a chance for me to give back.”

Maroun has not put in for his state pension despite being eligible. That will come when his time as a city employee is over, and he has no intention of that happening soon.

“I’ll be here as long as council will have me,” he said.

City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at jboyer@syracuse.com, (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.