Local Realtor fills Price City Council seat vacated by Nelson

By Matt Ward

A man who says his family has lived in the area for six generations was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Price City Council Wednesday.
Boyd Marsing was chosen out of a group of five candidates to fill the seat vacated by former Councilman Leif Nelson, who was on the city’s governing board for a year, having replaced Wayne Clausing in July 2017.
Marsing, during his introductory pitch, said he want to play a role in helping the city realize growth opportunities.
“I do see growth. I’m excited for that. I’m excited for some of the changes and steps we are taking to help the area. I want to be a part of that, and have a place we can have six more generations of Marsings,” he said.
After the five candidates introduced themselves, each was given a minute per question to answer a series of questions, one each from the sitting council members.
During the question and answer period, Marsing said his main focus for the city would be to promote economic development.
“The topic that I talk about all day every day is economic growth,” the Realtor said. “I think our biggest problem in the community is that we don’t have a unified goal. I don’t think we have a vision of what we really need to become and because of that we have a hard time setting goals to accomplish those things.”
He cited Helper’s recent rejuvenation efforts as a model for Price.
“Helper, they have a goal and they are accomplishing that,” he said, adding that he is kicking himself today for passing up an opportunity to buy a building in Helper in the past.
He also mention the Business Expansion and Retention group BEAR as doing a good job of “selecting some of the economic things we need to focus on.”
When asked how he would improve the daily lives of citizens, Marsing said he disagreed with any notion that people should look to politicians to solve their problems. He said most problems would solve themselves if the city took advantage of opportunities to grow economically.
“The biggest thing and the main reason that we are here is to help facilitate economic growth…I think that if we will facilitate that economic growth many of those other things will solve themselves,” he said. “Economic growth is the number one reason we are here.”
Promoting good relations between city and county would rank high among his priorities as well, he told council members.
“I think there’s a disconnect sometimes between cities and county. I feel if we can foster that relationship, I know that’s difficult and easy to say, but if we can all be on the same page, working toward a common goal, I don’t believe we can really accomplish much until we have that common goal,” he said.
He elaborated by saying he realizes the county takes the lead on the area’s economic development, but until it shares the same goals as the cities, he said not much will be done.
Asked what the most unpopular decision he’s ever made and how he responded, Marsing didn’t really give an example. But he did say that he often deals with tenants as a landlord and it requires him to be understanding of their situations.
“As a Realtor, I negotiate all day, also as a landlord, I talk to tenants. A lot of times they don’t agree with you. But I believe if you can sit down and convince them you really care about them, then you can find common ground. I know that many times it’s difficult and people can get heated,” he said.
Finally, he and the other candidates were asked why they wanted to serve the community.
“One, I want to be able to stay here and live. I want my children to be able to grow up here just like I did, but I think that we all have a responsibility. Under the Constitution it says ‘We the People,’ I think we need to all serve. The community won’t function, it won’t work without all of us stepping up and doing our part,” he said. “I have the flexibility and the option to be able to serve. I love the community. I love the people here and I want to do my part, my share.”
After the question and answer period, the city council narrowed the candidates to two, Marsing and former East Carbon City Council member Andy Urbanik.
Each man gave a closing remark.
“I’m not a perfect person. I have a lot of faults. But I’ve been taught how to work. My dad does taxes and he works 16 hours a day for two or three months at a time,” Marsing said. “I know how to work. I might not know everything, but I will work everyday and I will work hard. I know it’s hard and will take a lot of time.”
Marsing’s brother, Seth Marsing, was recently nominated to finish the term of the county’s clerk/auditor, Seth Oveson, who resigned earlier in the year, stepping down last Friday.
“I am excited about it,” Boyd Marsing said. “I am excited to be able to serve. I am excited for the small changes…I think we will see great growth in the next little while. I just want to be part of it.”
Marsing was sworn in after council members chose him over Urbanik. He sat for the remainder of the council meeting, his first official act was seconding a motion made by a fellow council member later in the meeting.