Councilor and Dad

Darrin Palumbo has played many roles on Marco Island over the last 28 years including employer, real estate agent, coach, mentor, and City Councilor. To me, his most prominent role has always been that of an amazing father.

One of my father’s most notable characteristics is his penchant for giving back to his community. He’s accomplished this through being a mentor in the Big Brother program, his volunteer work coaching for Optimist Club and MIA, and through fundraising thousands of dollars for MIA’s athletic program. Through his many years as a coach, he taught leadership skills and stressed the importance of working together on and off the field. While he may have been the loudest, most boisterous coach, he was also the most supportive and impactful.

Additionally, my father is boundlessly persistent in fighting for those he cares about. I’ve often directly benefited from his persistence, but over his years as a Councilor, Marco Island’s residents have benefited from his persistence as well. He consistently fights to ensure his constituents' needs are met, and his campaign promises are kept.

I’m grateful for my upbringing in Marco Island and to have a father that works tirelessly towards ensuring my hometown's continued prosperity. I know how lucky I am to have him as my father, but in the last four years I’ve learned how lucky Marco Island is to have him as well. He’s firm in his pursuit of honoring his constituents’ desires while also being reasonable and ensuring civility on the dais.

Although City Council is often a thankless job, it’s a job that my father excels at and wishes to continue pursuing. His desire to serve on City Council is admirable and I am so proud of him for all that he has done. Marco Island would be immensely lucky to have Darrin Palumbo as a Councilor for another four years, but either way, I’ll always consider myself lucky to have him as my father.