Matthew Boyer was born and raised in Coalville, so it’s no surprise the small eastern Summit County town feels like home.
The sixth-generation resident grew up working on a farm about nine miles east of town in Upton, and he is well acquainted with the community. Boyer said he understands the town’s agricultural roots, but he also recognizes that times are changing. In part, that’s why he joined the Coalville Planning Commission last fall, and what’s now inspiring his run for the Coalville City Council.
“I want everybody to feel like this is their hometown. This is for them. You know that this is a place they can always call home, whether they stay here their whole life, or they grow up here and they leave, or they come here later in life. I want them to feel like this is home,” he said.
After graduating from North Summit High School, Boyer attended Utah State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in statistics with minors in math and finance, as well as a master’s degree in financial economics.
Boyer discovered there was a new position opening up at the County Courthouse around the same time he was finishing his master’s degree. The Summit County Council in 2022 approved a data analyst position for the assessor’s office due to a backlog in commercial properties that hadn’t been reevaluated for several years, and Boyer was hired.
When he returned to Coalville about three years ago, Boyer began paying attention to how issues were being handled at City Hall.
He noticed there was a massive emphasis on growth, yet not much long-term perspective. Boyer also felt like officials were neglecting more immediate issues that keep the city running, such as improving the sidewalks on Main Street, and giving too much attention to issues that don’t benefit residents.
“We need to carefully plan that out so that we don’t turn into a community that we don’t recognize in 10 years,” Boyer said. “We need to be looking at the whole picture of Coalville.”
Last fall, city officials were looking to appoint someone to an open Coalville City Council seat, and Boyer was one of five candidates who applied. His grandfather and father both served on the council for years, and so it was natural for him to want to serve.
Although he wasn’t chosen for the seat, Boyer’s name came up again when the mayor needed to fill a vacancy on the Coalville Planning Commission. Boyer happily agreed.
“I want to be involved. The way Coalville grows, I want to be here the rest of my life, and so I feel like I need to take an active role, and can’t just expect other people to do everything for me,” he said. “My predecessors set the city up in a way that it was a place I wanted to come back to. Now, I have to do that for my kids and their grandchildren and generations to come.”
Boyer noted a big shift at the state level in the way developers interact with municipalities, and characterized the Planning Commission as a kind of “subdivision approval committee.” Commissioners ensure the project meets the city’s development code and debate whether it fits into the vision for Coalville and how it should grow.
He noted the importance of taking on an active role in planning and development, emphasizing the value of open spaces to preserve the agricultural feel of the community and recognizing the need for connections and infrastructure like trails or sidewalks — something he plans to do if elected to the City Council.
Serving on the Planning Commission exposed Boyer to the planning process and the responsibility the city has in taking a mindful, future-forward approach to do what’s best for the community.
Smart, purposeful growth is a key component of Boyer’s platform. He said he wants to help facilitate development that preserves the community’s agricultural character without overwhelming the city, while creating opportunities for young families.
Improving city infrastructure by focusing on the revitalization of Main Street, continuing to connect community spaces and making Coalville more accessible is also a top priority for Boyer.
He also noted the importance of restoring civility to the City Council. Boyer wants to reduce personal emotions, promote collaborative problem-solving, ensure all community groups feel represented, create a more transparent, accountable government and provide clear, articulate reasoning for decisions.
“To me, that’s what Coalville really is,” Boyer said. “Anytime somebody needs something in this community, there is always a line of hands ready to help. It’s friendly, because half of us are related to one another, but we’ve known each other all our lives, and so we want everybody else to succeed.”
Boyer is among several candidates seeking one of two Coalville City Council seats on the November ballot. The other individuals who declared their candidacy are Steven Richins, Andrew Nelson, Jeff Peterson, Colleen Goodman and Chris Tomczyk.
A primary election will be held on Aug. 12 to cut the candidate field in half before the general election. Ballots were mailed on Tuesday.