Mayor Paul Maroun not running for mayor this fall after all

by Dan McClelland

Mayor Paul Maroun is not running for re-election this fall as expected. That means that unless a mayoral candidate emerges at either the Conservative or Democratic caucuses in coming days, Republican Mary Fontana is the Village of Tupper Lake’s new mayor, come December 1.

Ms. Fontana, an outgoing and eight-year town councilwoman, was nominated by the party faithful several weeks ago over Mr. Maroun to be its nominee for the top village post.

After the caucus, Mr. Maroun said he would be seeking the Conservative Party’s nomination to run for the job he has held for 13 or so years. He wouldn’t be running, however, this time on an independent ballot line.

Mr. Maroun said Monday that he gave the matter a lot of thought in recent days and over the weekend made up his mind not to seek re-election.

Mr. Maroun lost the party nomination for county legislator last fall to newcomer Nedd Sparks, but ran as an independent. Mr. Sparks soundly defeated him, however, on election day.

During the election of 2021 when Mr. Maroun was also seeking re-election, Businessman Eric Shaheen won both the Republican and Conservative party nominations for mayor and Mr. Maroun ran as an independent. Both candidates received 371 votes in the general election- probably the first time in Tupper Lake election history a mayor’s race end in a dead heat.

It all came down to absentee ballots cast before election day that year.

Of the 47 absentee ballots Mr. Maroun won 32 and Businessman Challenger Eric Shaheen garnered 15. Mr. Maroun returned to the mayor’s job for another two years.

So why was he not trying for another term, we asked him Monday.

He said “I’ve tried the best I could to get the votes” on the village board in support of projects and decisions he felt were good for the village.

“Being the mayor is not just taking care of the issues. It’s also about talking to the trustees to get their votes to do the things you are trying to do!”

He said it requires a lot of time to properly administer the local government, involving a commitment of many hours every day.

Mayor Maroun has been weathering very rough water in the recent months that have seen fierce criticism from many village water customers over the dirty and toxic condition of the village-supplied water. He has argued the village leaders have been doing their best over the past decade to provide Tupper Lake water customers with good water. But many people are unhappy here with that answer. They want the water emergency crisis solved now, judging by the comments at two public meetings in May and June.

There’s also been tension at board meetings of late when he and new Trustee Eric Shaheen have argued over issues.

“I love being mayor,” he said, repeating something he has said several times in recent weeks. “But I’ve found there are many citizens in the community now who have taken on a not very friendly spirit of late.”

He said there is an angry sentiment in the local citizenry right now.

“If you witnessed the ferociousness among that group the other night,” he said of the June 29 public water meeting, “Tupper Lake has changed.”

He said some of those recent personal attacks have weighed heavy on him.

He expressed frustration too that some of the people at the meeting who loudly decried the brown-colored water have never even experienced it at their homes.

Mr. Maroun said the mean-spirited ways of some here has been hard for him to understand and deal with.

He said some of the newcomers to town at the meetings “were openly vicious” in their comments to him.

Some of that community anger directed at him started during COVID, when he was forced by state health law several times to order people to wear masks to protect themselves and others.

“Friends I had here my entire life” became my enemies because I supposedly took away their constitutional rights (not to have to wear a mask). “Friends my whole life who I helped get jobs, help their families get jobs, turned on me overnight!”

“I feel bad...I love the job and I think I have always tried to steer Tupper Lake in the right direction. I’ve generated a lot positive publicity for our town across the state and nation.”

He said he was proud of the many good initiatives he’s helped to bring to Tupper Lake, like the $10 million DRI uptown business improvement grant and the new apartments coming to the former Oval Wood Dish building on Demars Blvd.

Of the apartment project, he said “people are laughing at it now, but it’s going to happen and it’s going to be a great project for Tupper Lake and the entire North Country.”

“It’s going to happen despite” the view of some here.

He was proud of the Tupper Lake Municipal Park and the many improvements the village board has made there.

He admitted there have been some on his board that didn’t feel all that investment in the park was warranted, but these are things our community needs- now and in the future.

“I’ve thought a lot about continuing, but it’s not worth me getting sick over this. -And it’s not worth losing more friends. I’ve lost friends in recent years that go back to our days together in school. I feel so bad about that!”

“I’ve enjoyed my time as mayor. “I love Tupper Lake. Wherever I go I say ‘Tupper Lake’ and people all over know Tupper Lake because of that.”

“Tupper Lake is a great community. It’s a great place to live. Yes, we have problems, but we live a lot better than people do in other parts of the country.”

He said he’ll miss the job of mayor.