Marsha Passmore has found her passion in serving her hometown community.
When Marsha Passmore thinks about her contributions to the Plant City community, she thinks about all the women before her who made those contributions possible.
In the mid-1970s, Passmore was working for Powell’s Buick and Pontiac when she joined the Business and Professional Women’s Club.
“So many of the women that, in my mind, paved the way for women in Plant City were in that club as well,” Passmore said. “I remember some of the women — Nettie Draughon, Sadye Gibbs, Ruth Brown and Betty Holley — who coached me on how important it was to be involved in your community.”
Decades later, Passmore is now paving the way for women in the community. From serving as a former City Commissioner to her involvements with civic organizations, the Plant City High School alum is someone always willing to serve.
Passmore's Purpose
In the 1970s, the current wage gap between men and women was larger than it is now. Passmore and the women in the club took to Tallahassee and beyond to create change.
“We went to state and national conventions trying to get elected officials to realize that we should receive the same pay, regardless of what we are,” Passmore said. “We lobbied hard for that, equal pay for equal work.”
Today, Passmore and her husband of almost 39 years, Billy, continue to serve.
She’s also the community service coordinator for Hopewell Funeral Home.
“I’m proud to use their name in the community,” she said. “I really appreciate them.”
Passmore is on the committee for the annual Diamonds and Denim fundraiser and the Plant City Christmas Parade and is a co-chair for the Queen’s Exhibit at the Florida Strawberry Festival. She’s a board member or a volunteer with Plant City Entertainment, the Arts Council of Plant City, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the United Food Bank of Plant City, the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum, the Historic Resources Board, Unity in the Community, the East Hillsborough Law Enforcement Association, the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center and Plant City Main Street.
In 2011, she won the Citizen of the Year award.
“I have a lot of energy,” Passmore said. “I can’t sit still.”
A Seat At the Table
At the end of 1991, Passmore decided to run for the City Commission in the June 1992 election — a decision she
had thought about for nearly a decade.
“It was so overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Some said, ‘You should have run awhile ago. You’ve prepared now for seven years. It’s time now.’”
Passmore won the election by two votes and was re-elected to the Commission in 1995.
During her time serving on the Commission, Passmore was appointed the chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency. She worked with the Downtown Business and Merchants Association for the redevelopment of the downtown business district.
“It was a huge sense of pride to the fact that we were moving forward,” she said. “It was a paramount moment for me.”
Today, service remains her top priority.
“It is a God-given privilege to serve your community,” Passmore said. “We really have to offer something back to our community. Otherwise, I don’t serve any purpose.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
