SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney announced Thursday that she has appointed Robert A. Durr as the next Onondaga County Attorney.
She picked Durr to replace Gordon Duffy, who left the position after being hired as the New York State Thruway Authority’s general counsel in February.
The county attorney serves as the county government’s lone legal adviser on civil matters, which includes providing counsel to county administrators, the departments under their direction, and the deputy county executive, according to the Onondaga County Law Department website.
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Durr will start in his new position on June 15, according to Martin Skahen, Mahoney’s chief of staff.
Durr will oversee the Onondaga County Law Department, which Skahen says currently has 38 employees — 25 lawyers and 13 support staff.
Durr has spent almost two decades practicing law, including criminal defense, at private firms. Most of those years were at his own firm — the Law Office of Robert A. Durr, Esq., located at 103 E. Water St. in Syracuse, which Durr says he opened in 1998. He also worked for Utica–based Petrone & Petrone, P.C. — which has offices in Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany — for two years.
Durr received his bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University, graduated from Syracuse University College of Law, and in 1987 was admitted to the New York State Bar. Shortly after, Durr became an assistant district attorney for Onondaga County, a position he held from 1988 to 1996, according to Skahen.
Durr’s salary as Onondaga County Attorney has not yet been determined. It would typically be chosen by Mahoney from a range of $113,875 to $150,961, according to Skahen. However, Mahoney’s office has requested that the Onondaga County Legislature increase the salary to between $148,824 and $197,756. Skahen says the legislature will vote on the requested increase in its June session, after which Mahoney will determine Durr’s salary.
“Bob is an accomplished and well respected lawyer,” Mahoney said in a news release. “He will be a great addition to our team and I am pleased he agreed to join us.”
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