Letter to the editor response to Deborah Venti presentation at Plymouth council meeting

I watched the meeting, including Debra Venti's presentation at the May 2025 Plymouth council meeting, and I have to say—it came across as incredibly elitist. Suggesting that the Blueberry Festival should be branded as the "Plymouth Blueberry Festival" instead of "Marshall County Blueberry Festival" is not just short-sighted, it’s exclusionary. You're not in the Carolinas anymore—this is Plymouth, Indiana. And here, we value our neighbors in LaPaz, Bremen, Bourbon, Culver, and all across Marshall County.

This festival is about all of us. People from every corner of the county help make it happen. They volunteer, they deal with the traffic, and they contribute to both the successes and challenges that come with it. Local youth groups, many of which are based outside of Plymouth, depend on the festival for fundraising and community involvement. To marginalize those efforts is, frankly, a disservice to the spirit of community this county represents.

And let’s talk about the housing comment—that we need income from a gated community of $800k to $1.2 million homes before we can take care of the folks staying in hotels? That’s insulting. Five jobs and a handful of million-dollar homes won’t lift our community—it sounds more like a money grab than a solution.

As for the complaints about property taxes after renovating a downtown building—this is just how the system works. When you improve your property, it increases in value, and therefore your property taxes go up. This isn’t discrimination, it’s basic tax law. Whether it’s a starter home, a downtown storefront, or a luxury estate, the principle is the same. Complaining about having to pay taxes after making improvements is just not a strong argument.

For the record, I’m 64 years old, born and raised in Plymouth. I graduated from Plymouth High School, and my family—children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—are rooted here. I stay actively involved in the community because I care deeply about the people who’ve weathered the hard times and celebrated the good ones right here in Plymouth and Marshall County.

I’m not attacking your whole presentation. In fact, I’ve stayed quiet on the majority of your points. But when it comes to how we treat the people living in mobile home parks or staying in hotels—those who are often working hard and contributing quietly—I felt compelled to speak up. They deserve respect, not to be written off.

If you’d like more insight into how property taxes work or what community really means here, I’d be happy to give you a presentation of my own—face to face.

Robin Myers

Plymouth, IN