Marsie West

Marsie West (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners to represent District B in North Carolina. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

West completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Marsie West was born in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from Hamden High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. Her career experience includes working in finance focused on operations, process improvements, and internal consulting for strategic transformation programs.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Richard Linville (R)	18.1	67,380
✔	Submit photo	Gloria Whisenhunt (R)	17.2	63,829
✔	Submit photo	Gray Wilson (R)	16.9	62,967
	Submit photo	Curtis Fentress (D)	16.3	60,730
		Valerie Brockenbrough (D)	16.1	59,993
		Marsie West (D)	15.4	57,153

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 372,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Kendall Fields (D)
David Plyler (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

Kendall Fields, Valerie Brockenbrough, and Marsie West defeated Curtis Fentress in the Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kendall Fields	29.2	12,374
✔		Valerie Brockenbrough	28.8	12,216
✔		Marsie West	28.3	12,013
	Submit photo	Curtis Fentress	13.6	5,780

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,383
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Richard Linville	22.4	15,370
✔	Submit photo	Gloria Whisenhunt	21.7	14,886
✔	Submit photo	David Plyler	17.6	12,048
	Submit photo	Gray Wilson	15.9	10,871
	Submit photo	Terri Mrazek	13.5	9,271
		Ralf Walters	8.8	6,038

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68,484
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for West in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Marsie West completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by West's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a fiscally responsible, experienced candidate with 12 years of local government experience, a career in finance and strategic transformation, and deep roots within Forsyth County.

I have local government experience in elected office on the Select Board (Vice Chair), Municipal Light Commissioner (Secretary), and Town Meeting. I also served on the Finance Committee (Chair, Vice Chair) and Zoning Advisory Board (Chair). I directly led community outreach on town finance and zoning with brainstorming sessions and presentations to engage diverse constituents.

My career has focused on operations and change management to define, streamline, and implement systems and process improvements. I started my career and family in Forsyth County after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. Our careers later took us out of state, and we had the opportunity to live abroad in Hong Kong, then we traveled across the US with Cirque du Soleil. We returned to Forsyth County and now live across the street from the house my husband’s grandparents built, where his nephew is raising his family.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

It is time for a change in the Forsyth County Commission! The county is working on its strategic vision with Forward 2045 and we have a new County Manager. Our future vision should not be constrained by the past and we need new leadership to define our future direction. As a County Commissioner, I can provide experience and fresh ideas as we plan for the future of Forsyth County.
Government works best when it has transparent processes, and collaborative leadership that listens to constituents and seeks active community participation. A strong engagement with the entire community and coordination with local county, city, and school leadership is crucial to solicit and support priorities that will drive our future success.
It is important to have qualified and experienced people on the ballot. My experience and skill sets are perfectly aligned with the County Commissioner role, given the large focus on financial oversight and budgeting. I have the ideal professional experience in both public and private sectors to support Forsyth County. I have a very clear understanding of the role Commissioners play in setting County strategy, and their support of the County Manager’s role to successfully deliver services to our citizens.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public education, affordable housing, and public safety are key priorities to encourage economic growth and provide services while minimizing the tax burden.

Strong public education is essential to growing our community. Commissioners play a key role in maintaining our school infrastructure and need to advocate for State public school funding.
Affordable housing is a top issue in the Forward 2024 survey. We must create a strategic plan with City, State, and Federal leadership, and business and non-profits, to identify housing gaps and ways to fill these gaps.

We must have a safe community that protects all residents with resources to support our Sheriff, courts, mental health, and emergency management team.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and integrity are the top characteristics voters identified as essential for an elected official during my early voter outreach. People need confidence that their elected leaders will listen to them and act upon the feedback provided.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a clear understanding of the role of County Commissioners. I can set high-level strategic vision and analyze detailed financial information, both of which are required for County Commissioners. I have experience managing the tensions between financial constraints and the funds needed for community services which requires compromise and collaboration. My career has involved working across organizations and geographic locations to resolve complex issues. These same skills are needed in local government.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

County Commissioners primarily have financial and strategic oversight for Forsyth County. They operate like a Board of Directors for the County to set the vision for the future, oversee and manage the financial health of the County, and ensure that county resources are available for services the county provides to their constituents. Commissioners set the local tax rate, establish and oversee the County budget (almost $600 million), determine land use and zoning for the County, and define County policies for the community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

As a child, I remember participating in marches for civil rights with my mother and asking her why we were not learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. in school.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was an internship at Yale New Haven Hospital in a cardio-thoracic surgical research lab for two summers in high school as I considered going into the medical field. I later decided Finance was a better career for me.
My most fun job was working in the front tent with Cirq du Soleil! I went from Manulife to circus wife and enjoyed 18 months traveling around the US.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is highly beneficial for County commissioners to have prior government experience, particularly in the budgeting and financial oversight process. As a result of my years on the Finance Committee and Select Board, I understand the need to balance an operating budget using recurring revenues, vs single-time revenues, and the use of capital funds for one-time expenses while managing the amount County of debt. I have a clear understanding of the role of County Commissioners and how they interact with other leadership such as the School Superintendent, County Manager, and Board of Education.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I have experience with setting high-level strategic vision and analyzing detailed financial information, both of which are required for County Commissioners. I have experience managing the tensions between financial constraints and the funds needed for community services which requires compromise and collaboration. In my community work, I have spearheaded brainstorming sessions and presentations that brought together diverse sectors of the community to collaborate on solutions to zoning, as well as to develop new approaches for generating revenues and reducing expenses.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

• Carolina Federation

• NC State AFL-CIO
• Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem
• Piedmont Triad Apartment Association

• Winston-Salem Regional Association of Realtors

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Fiscal transparency and government accountability are essential to ensure that funds are used in alignment with community priorities.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 30, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 30, 2024

[1]

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Marsie West

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B (3 seats)

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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