We listened to and spoke with hundreds of people for Plymouth Independent stories in 2025. Here’s a selection of what they had to say, and you can quote us on that.
“I woke up the other morning and Sue was sitting on the side of the bed, staring at me. I said, ‘Good morning, what did I do now?’ She told me she had a dream, and in the dream she died. And I didn’t grieve long enough. I saw she was upset. So, I said, ‘Look, I’ve been grieving since the day we got married, isn’t that long enough?’”
– Gary Levine, a retired lawyer, in a January story about his new “career” as a standup comedian.
“We all agree that our open space is important. Our aquifer is precious and deserves protecting. It is also true, that at least as of right now, squirrels and trees, sadly, do not pay taxes. We need to have a balance between open space and economic development.”
– Select Board member Kevin Canty during a Feb. 2 meeting at which a controversial Cedarville business park plan was discussed.
“Elder homelessness is one of our fastest growing populations. People with fixed incomes are getting priced out right now. We’ve lost a lot of nursing homes that were locally owned.”
– John Yazwinski, CEO and president of Father Bill’s & Mainspring, in a February story about homelessness in Plymouth.
“We’re not protecting the public. We’re expecting what amounts to a vigilante to protect the public.”
– Select Board member David Golden in a February story about Police Chief Dana Flynn’s call to allow guns in Town Hall and other public places by opting out of a state law. The proposal was initially backed by the board in a 3-2 vote but later rescinded after board member John Mahoney changed his mind. It was then rejected by Town Meeting.
“We are out here because there is something wrong inside the walls of BID-Plymouth. We are out here and taking this stand under the current staffing conditions in that hospital we simply cannot provide you with the care and the attention that you should expect and should deserve from your hospital.
– Liz Taylor, a nurse and co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association’s bargaining unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital -Plymouth, during a March demonstration over a contract stand-off. A threatened strike was averted after the union and hospital management reached an agreement.
“I go downtown a lot, and I see [outdoor seats] empty. Saturday nights. Friday nights. I’m done with it.”
– Select Board member Dick Quintal in a March story about the board voting to no longer subsidize outdoor dining downtown.
“It’s an entity that has probably run its course. It hasn’t kept up with the times.”
– Police Chief Dana Flynn explaining to the Select Board in April why he wants the town to opt out of the state’s civil service system after more than 100 years.
“We were packed the week of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and also for the week of King Charles’s coronation.”
– Shelly Sinclar, co-owner of Shelly’s Tea Rooms, in a May story about the popularity of the downtown business.
“I know this is an issue that divides a lot of people. As a former ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, I taught many immigrants over the years. The immigrants I know don’t deserve that kind of mistreatment.”
– Select Board member Deb Iaquinto in a May story about mounting concerns over ICE arrests in Plymouth.
“You just saw overwhelming concern with growth and development, balanced development, and seeing a better disposition between our town board and our town and its residents. There’s a disconnect, and I think that was something that I heard quite a bit about.”
– Newly elected Select Board member Bill Keohan in a May story about the annual town election results.
“All of our families [are] working-class families, so everybody’s working. People can’t take time off to come to a conference. They know that education is important, but they’re trying to survive.”
– Hedge Elementary School Principal Kristin Wilson in a June story about the challenges facing immigrant families.
“When we’re finished, people will absolutely notice that this is a different quality asset than what sits there today.”
– Bruce Percelay, founder of Mount Vernon Company, in a June column about on his plans to revitalize the John Carver Inn.
“There have been numerous times we’re walking along, and you see kids on e-bikes weaving in and out of traffic — more often than not they’re very disrespectful. They pop wheelies and they come right at you.”
– A resident who asked to be unnamed in a June story about reckless e-bike riders.
“The stories are really sad. These people are working their socks off. They can’t get anywhere. They are behind with bills and then they’ve had a medical emergency or something else. They come to us for help.”
– Alison Davies of the Pinehills group Womenade, in a July story about its efforts to help local families in need who have children in Plymouth public schools.
“They’re scared. They are locked [in] at home. They are afraid of doing anything.”
– Pastor Gessuy Freitas in a July story about the ICE-related fears of First Brazilian Baptist Church of Plymouth members.
“We’re getting many calls from Canadians telling us that while they love our area and while they have come here many times to vacation in the summer, they’ll see us in a few years or perhaps after the next administration comes to the fore.”
– Lea Filson, president of the tourism organization See Plymouth, in an August story about a sluggish summer season for many businesses.
“He would just pop right back up like a zombie.”
– Local chef Mike Wisdom in an August story about how he fended off an attacker who invaded his home.
“In my opinion, it is the greatest danger Plymouth faces today. There are a lot more people living here.”
– Retired Plymouth Fire Captain John Hedge in a September story about the anniversary of the Great Fire of 1900 and whether such a disaster could happen today.
“We are always looking for something that’s going to help downtown Plymouth emerge. I won’t do anything that’s not in the best interest of Plymouth.”
– Developer Rick Vayo in an October story about the opening of his Bamp’s Toy Vault downtown.
“We have to be our best on everybody’s worst day. The things we deal with can have a profound impact on wellness and performance.”
– Plymouth Police Deputy Chief James LeBretton in an October story about the benefits of a “Zen Room” at police headquarters.
“I was walking to town and passed by Memorial Hall when a man out front asked me if I wanted to buy tickets to see Bob Dylan. I was 20 at the time and thought he was crazy. Bob Dylan at Memorial Hall, and Joan Baez – those things didn’t happen in Plymouth.”
– Candy Monteiro in an October story about the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue tour making its debut in Plymouth.
“There are no words that can ever express the depth of hurt in my heart and soul. I will carry this sorrow every day for the rest of my life. It is just agonizing.”
– Elizabeth Hunt, mother of Felishia Caraway-Mudd, who died of a drug overdose in 2019 at a recovery home for women. William McNeill, 39, pleaded guilty in November to manslaughter and drug distribution charges in connection with her death.
“When I went on the site visit, I could feel my blood pressure rising as they described what they wanted to do. I have a very good imagination, but in my wildest imagination I could not imagine 163 condos stuffed into that small, tight-knit neighborhood.”
– Select Board member Deb Iaquinto speaking at a November meeting about a tour of the sites where Pulte Homes wants to build condos in North Plymouth.
“I cannot understand why Pulte wants to do this when nobody in the community wants it.”
– Robert Zupperoli, a North Plymouth Town Meeting member, at the same November meeting on a North Plymouth condo plan.
“Mr. Canty, I’m not going to be lectured by you on how to set the agenda. We’re in this position because of your handling of the agenda.”
– Select Board chair David Golden at a November meeting, responding to board member Kevin Canty’s request for updates on when certain topics might be place on a meeting agenda.
“I would say that the way you’re handling it is not appreciatively better than the way it was handled before.”
– Select Board member Kevin Canty responding to David Golden at the same November meeting.
“The trash barrels in our neighborhood are like rainbows — all different and all different colors”
– White Horse Beach resident Nicholas Shuster-Maloof commenting on the number of waste removal companies that service his neighborhood, in a November story about complaints concerning his ever-changing trash pick-up service.
“Any content that normalizes sexual activity by our 13- and 14-year-old children ought to be removed.”
– Parent Brian Fitzgibbons objecting to a new sex education program for eighth graders, in a November story.
“ICE has targeted long-time resident immigrant families, particularly in North Plymouth. We are witnessing trauma caused by unprecedently violent enforcement aimed at non-criminal hard-working people.”
– Anne Franzino, a member of Together We Can, a group that works to support immigrants, during a Select Board meeting in December.
“The issue we’re talking about is illegal aliens. All of them break federal law either for visa overstays, illegally crossing the border – dangerously, I might add – not registering with the federal government, which is required by law. Most are involved with identity theft because they need it for working purposes, and most of all, they defy federal judges’ orders to deport.”
– Resident Tim Shobbrook during the same December meeting regarding ICE operations in Plymouth.
“We do know that of those who expressed an opinion, three times the number of people who supported it were against it. I don’t think the community wants this frankly and I don’t see how I can support it because of that.”
– Select Board Chair David Golden – during a December board meeting – on why he opposed a proposed bylaw to regulate the use of e-bikes.
“I’m glad it’s down.”
– Richard Serkey, a longtime Town Meeting member who pushed for the demolition of the decaying Bert’s restaurant building, in a December story about its razing following months of delays.
“If you’re looking for significant cuts, unfortunately, it comes down to people. Our revenues cannot keep pace with our expenses.”
– Town Manager Derek Brindisi in a December story about his budget presentation to the Select Board that outlined the financial squeeze facing Plymouth’s government and school system.
“We have spent a lot of time wasted when we should have been paying attention to stuff like this.”
– Select Board member Dick Quintal during the same December budget presentation.
“Just last month, Holtec told the Plymouth Independent that my efforts to block the discharge of nuclear wastewater into the Plymouth community was a ‘scare tactic,’ yet [last] Thursday the Harvard School of Public Health released a damning report showing clearly that members of our community living around the plant have higher cancer rates.”
– State Senator Dylan Fernandes reacting to a study showing a connection between proximity to nuclear power plants and an increased risk of cancer.