“Now, therefore, I, Steven Bellone, as County Executive of the County of Suffolk, do hereby commend Paul Anthony Drum Honorary Suffolk County Executive for the Day and on behalf of the 1.5 million residents of Suffolk County, I thank you.”
With those words, Paul Drum of Mattituck was honored for the third time in three years for his contributions to the young residents of the East End during the annual mermaids and pirates breakfast fundraiser at Front Street Station in Greenport Sunday morning.
Dozens of people attended the popular event and enjoyed live music from David Berson and David Nyce, face painting, and roaming pirates.
Drum, a young man with Down syndrome, attends East End Disabilities Associates and works at his family’s Greenport restaurant. He is the namesake of the Paul Drum Nautical Education Program, which is run in cooperation with the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation. The foundation sponsors free programs for local children ages 7-12 to educate them about safety and enjoyment of our waters.
Although Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone was unable to attend, he passed his congratulations along through Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning acting commissioner Theresa Ward and neighborhood aide Matthew Kapell.
Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts, Southold Town Board members Jill Doherty and Jim Dinizio, Southold Town Chief of Police Martin Flatley, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski and New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo also stopped by to congratulate Paul.
As Paul bid farewell to his guests he was already thinking ahead.
“I’m going to do this again next year,” he said. “I really like this.”
Correction: A previously published version of this story omitted Trustee Doug Roberts and Councilman Jim Dinizio from the list of attendees.
