Andrew Nelson speaks about Coalville with the passion of a lifelong resident despite having only called the city home since 2022.
Nelson grew up in Brigham City, but settled in Coalville with his wife because it’s where she grew up and where her parents still live. The couple is raising their own family here, and Nelson’s eager to bring a fresh outlook to the Coalville City Council to shape the community where their children will grow up.
“Sometimes having an outside perspective is not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “If we can bring those two sides together … we can grow, become stronger, better.”
Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree in operations management from Utah State University, and is completing his master of business administration while working as a buyer for an automotive company based in Ogden. His wife is a teacher at North Summit Elementary School.
Her family has a background in farming, and Nelson was inspired to run for City Council because of the potential for new development in a historically agricultural community. He recognized that things are changing in Coalville, and Nelson wants to work to “mend the fences” and collaborate.
He recognized a tension in the current city government and advocated for more constructive, less personal discussions. Nelson said his outside perspective would be useful in providing a neutral analysis of the ongoing issues.
Coalville is “old school but changing,” according to Nelson. He wants to maintain the community’s rural roots and family feel while thoughtfully managing growth. Nelson said he isn’t opposed to development but feels projects need to fit in with the landscape of the community.
He said there are a lot of large ideas without the right level of community involvement. Nelson was in favor of keeping the character of Coalville, but improving elements of it as time moves on.
“Remembering where we’re coming from, and my hope is to keep that,” he said. “Development is going to come. If we can keep that and incorporate it into how we develop, I think that would be the best route. Sure, I want to keep a small town. … But if we do have to develop, let’s do it the right way.”
Nelson referenced the possibilities of the Hidden Meadow annexation project from Larry H. Miller Real Estate, which would have built 75 homes and a new community park on 316 acres if the City Council had approved it last week. Nelson had his concerns about the proposal, but said it would be nice to see affordable housing for young families in the area or opportunities for the community to otherwise benefit from development.
If elected, Nelson vowed to prioritize balanced development, support young families, and be the voice of constructive dialogue on the City Council.
“I want Coalville to succeed,” Nelson said. “Now granted, not everybody gets what they want, but if we can work together to come to a consensus, I think that’s the best we can do.”
Nelson 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, Matthew Boyer, 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 July 22.