Jake Marsing Runs for At-Large Seat on Longmont City Council
“A Longmont for Everybody” Vision Rooted in History, Working Class
Jake Marsing, the Frederick High School social studies teacher and community advocate, is running for an at-large seat on Longmont City Council, hoping to bring his lifelong connection and public policy experience to Longmont at what he sees as a critical juncture for the city.
Marsing is no stranger to public service, working in the Colorado State Senate as an aide for then-Senator Mike Foote. He also served as Executive Committee Member for the Boulder County Democratic Party and was part of Longmont’s Housing and Human Services Advisory Board.
“My great-grandfather built that barn that burned down a couple of years ago up there,” Marsing said, reflecting on his family’s deep ties to the area and a farm they once owned past Highway 66. “My grandmother was born here in town, back when the hospital was in a different spot. She graduated from Longmont High, my mom went to Longmont High, and I went to Longmont High.”
Marsing’s upbringing involved politics and civic duty, knocking on doors for a campaign by age nine, but it wasn’t always at the forefront of his mind.
“My grandpa worked for Ted Kennedy for a few years, and my mom was student government president in college,” Marsing added. “So yeah, there’s been involvement, but I always asked, how can I be helpful? How can I be of service? How can I learn?”
That question of service now underpins his campaign platform. Marsing advocates for affordable housing, expanded access to early childhood education, and economic policies that don’t leave working-class families behind.
“We’re at this moment where we could go one of three ways,” Marsing explained. “We can become a community for the wealthy... or we can end up with a huge gap between haves and have-nots if all we’re building are transient, for-rent units… Or we can be a ‘Longmont for everybody’ community—a place where people can put down roots if they want to.”
With two young children of his own, a toddler and an infant, Marsing noted his vision is shaped by both history and hope.
“I think about the city I grew up in, and the one they’re growing up in,” Marsing said. “I want to make sure we hold onto that character, those working-class values that have always been part of Longmont.”
Marsing remembers a different Main Street—one filled with pawn shops in the 90s—and celebrates the evolution the city’s gone through.
“Now we’ve got bakeries, great restaurants, places that make our city more vibrant,” Marsing said. “But as we grow, we can’t leave people behind. That’s what ‘Longmont for Everybody’ means.”
When asked what specific initiatives he’d bring to the table, Marsing didn’t hesitate.
“Affordability is key—especially housing,” Marsing said. “That’s the issue I hear about most.”
Sustainability, both environmental and economic, is also part of his top priorities.
“People think of sustainability as just green energy or the environment, which is part of it, but it’s also about building a small business-friendly economy and protecting open space,” Marsing said. “To me, it’s about making Longmont livable now and for the future.”
If elected to the Longmont City Council, Marsing said he’s ready to hit the ground running.
“Absolutely,” Marsing said when asked if he had a first-day plan. “Everyone on the council is going to be concerned about affordable housing and lowering costs. I’ll be a strong voice for working families in that conversation, but for me, the issue I intend to really home in on from day one is early childhood education.”
That passion comes not just from policy, but from personal experience.
“My wife and I spend $1,200 a month for daycare, three days a week, for our two-year-old,” Marsing said. “And that’s a better deal than most families are getting.”
He sees the early childhood care crisis as solvable, with the right leadership.
“There’s a $60 million funding gap in Boulder County. If we fill that, we can lower costs for families, support providers, expand access, and help home-based care operations grow,” Marsing said.
Marsing teaches social studies at Frederick High School. While his public service career and teaching life may seem like two sides of the same coin, he sees them as distinct and complementary.
“When I’m at school, I’m Mr. Marsing. I like having that separation,” Marsing said. “Helping a student succeed is as fulfilling as anything I do politically, they’re just different universes.”
But he recognized that teachers often find themselves drawn to public office, something Longmont’s council history supports.
“I think teachers just have big hearts,” Marsing said. “We’re used to serving others, listening, and solving problems. And we want to make things better—not just in our classrooms, but in our communities.”
Running for an at-large seat on Longmont’s City Council means representing the whole city, not just a single ward, and Marsing embraces that responsibility wholeheartedly. But his signature campaign slogan, “A Longmont for Everybody,” didn’t come from strategy or polling. It came from personal conviction.
“For me, that wasn’t a branding decision,” Marsing said. “It was really about what my values are and what I know this community to be.”
Marsing sees Longmont as a place that’s always welcomed newcomers and working families, and he worries that legacy is under threat.
“Longmont has always been a dynamic, diverse, working-class community,” Marsing said. “When the city was founded in 1870, the Chicago Tribune described it as a place where the destitute could ‘seek new fields of enterprise.’ That was the whole idea—to build a better life. I’m concerned we’re losing that as we grow.”
He emphasized that “A Longmont for Everybody” means advocating for those who often feel unheard: working parents, young families, minimum-wage earners, and small business owners.
“I want to make sure that on the council there’s an advocate for working people,” Marsing said. “A strong voice for people trying to get by, not just those with power or resources. I love Boulder, but I don’t want Longmont to become Boulder.”
Marsing announced his candidacy in March.
“March is kind of the earliest that people tend to announce, and I announced in March. It’s a little early,” Marsing admitted, “but I want to run a campaign where I have as many conversations as possible, where I build as much grassroots support as possible.”
His early momentum has also been bolstered by high-profile endorsements, including Congressman Joe Neguse, State Representative Karen McCormick, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, and several current and former local officials.
Despite his growing list of endorsements and early fundraising successes, Marsing insists that conversations, not dollars, are the foundation of his campaign.
“We’re going to knock on a lot of doors. That’s how you have real conversations,” Marsing said. “You’re not going to meet everybody at a town hall, but you can show up at their front step and ask, ‘What does a Longmont for everybody mean to you?’”
The phrase, “A Longmont for Everybody,” has become a central message for his campaign. At his kickoff event in March, he said he asked attendees to define what that slogan meant in their own words.
“I heard everything from kindness, to opportunity, to affordability,” Marsing recalled. “That kind of feedback, that’s been the best part.”
Marsing is no stranger to government. Having worked in the Colorado State Senate, he draws a sharp contrast between state-level politics and local governance.
“In the legislature, it’s polished and scripted. You’ve got your stakeholders lined up behind the scenes, your talking points,” Marsing explained. “City council is a lot more casual, and there’s a freer exchange of ideas.”
Marsing’s time in the Colorado State Senate gives him a policymaking edge he believes sets him apart.
“I’ve done the work,” Marsing said. “I know how to write a bill. I know how to read a policy packet—my first council packet I read was in 2011. It was 1,300 pages and mailed to us.”
While many candidates run with good intentions, Marsing believes understanding the mechanics of governance is critical.
“I think sometimes people don’t know what they’re getting into. I do. And I’m excited for it,” Marsing said.
At the end of the day, Marsing says what motivates him is deeply personal.
“This is a critical moment for our community,” Marsing said. “If we want Longmont to stay affordable, diverse, and sustainable, we need strong leadership with real experience. That’s why I’m running.”
And his campaign isn’t just powered by ambition—it’s powered by story.
“I grew up on Dexter Drive on the north side of town,” Marsing recalled. “We had friends who’d bring us stuff from the dumpster so we could afford food. I know what it’s like to struggle, and I also know what it’s like to be okay. Longmont has helped me every step of the way, and I want to give back.”
Marsing’s campaign is up and running, and supporters can donate or sign up to volunteer via his website.
“I’m just humbled by the support we’ve received already,” Marsing said. “We need strong leadership that’s going to get the job done. It’s done at different levels. And it’s who’s going to be an advocate for the people, and that’s my mission. That’s why I’m running. I’m running because this community matters to me. This city is in my blood, and I intend to work my absolute tail off to get the job done for people here.”
For more information on candidacy requirements and election details, visit the City of Longmont’s official website.