Bristol, Tenn. City Council Candidate: Danny L. Marshall

Danny L. Marshall

Age: 42

Address: 325 Santa Fe Dr., Bristol, Tenn. 37620

Daytime telephone number: 423-418-0690

Evening phone number: 423-418-0690

Cell phone number: 423-418-0690

E-mail address:

Campaign Web site: www.devinmarshall.com/citycouncil.html

Party affiliation:  None

Office you are seeking: Bristol, Tenn., City Council, south district

Please answer the following questions about your background:

What is your educational background, including the highest degree you attained (high school, college, advanced degree) and the year it was attained?

J J. Kelly High School, Wise, Va., 1985. Go Big Red!

What is your professional background, including your present employer and job description? What other positions have you held in the past? If you are retired, please describe your most recent employment.

I am currently employed by Childer’s Transport Inc. of Whitesburg, Ky. I have previously been employed by Wise County, Va., as 911 Coordinator and as a building and zoning inspector. I was employed by the federal government during my service in the United States Air Force. As a former employee of both federal and county governments I have seen government work at its best and at times at its worst.

Are you married? If so, please list your spouse’s name, occupation and any elected offices they hold or have held in the past.

I am not married.

Do you have children? If so, how many and what are their ages?

I have one child, Devin Marshall, who will be 5 years old in August.

Do you presently hold an elected or appointed office or have you held one in the past? Please list all elected or appointed posts and the years you were in office.

I have never held any elected or appointed office. I am not a politician, nor do I play one on TV.
I did, however, stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Have you ever been an officer in a political party, worked in a campaign or been a delegate to a political convention? If yes, please provide details and names of the candidates for whom you worked.

I have never been involved in a campaign or convention.
How long have you lived in the area? If you have lived elsewhere, where have you lived and for how long?

I have lived in the Bristol area for five years.  Prior to that I lived in the Wise County, Va., area. From 1986-90, I was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va. I also spent time on temporary duty in various location throughout the United States and Canada.

Who are your three biggest campaign contributors? How much money have you raised in your campaign? Have you taken any special interest or PAC money? How much money do you expect to spend in your campaign?

I have no campaign contributors.  I have raised no money for my campaign. 
I have not taken any special interest or PAC money.  I do not intend on spending any money at all on my campaign.  I do not believe that candidates should be chosen by who has the prettiest yard sign or bumper sticker. 
Do you volunteer your time or give money to local causes? If so, please list them.

No.
Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime as an adult? If yes, please give jurisdiction and details.

No.

Have you ever filed bankruptcy? If yes, please explain.

No.

Have you ever served in the military? If yes, please provide details, including branch of service, highest rank, years of service and date and terms of discharge.

I served with great honor and pride in the United States Air Force from 1986 to 1990.  I was honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant.

Have you or your business ever been the subject of a lawsuit, lien or foreclosure? If yes, please explain.

No.

What ties do you have to any business or organization that could profit from action as a city council member? Please explain your plan to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.

None.

Do you have personal or business relationships with other council members that might cause a conflict of interest?

No.

Please answer the following questions about issues facing the city.

What makes you the best candidate for city council?

I am not a career politician.  I do not have any personal motives for serving the community other than the desire to improve the quality of life in Bristol, Tenn.

What is the best thing about Bristol , Tenn. ? What is the worst thing?

The best thing about Bristol, Tenn., is the wonderful people that live here. I can’t think of anything bad about Bristol, although there is, of course, room for improvement.
Bristol Exide is cutting its workforce by 567 people and other large employers have had large layoffs. What will you do as a council member to attract more employers to Bristol that will bring better paying jobs?

I believe the city needs to have an economic development administrator working full-time to attract industry and businesses to the area.  I believe we could provide tax incentives to encourage corporations to locate in our community and surrounding area.  I also believe we need to work with the small businesses that are already here to make Bristol a more business friendly community.  We should also take better advantage of tourism in the area.  I would like to see a week long festival during the Food City 500 and Sharpie 500 race weeks to help increase tourism and promote the area.

Bristol , Tenn. , has had two property tax increases to fund school construction and is considering another 8 cent increase. This would be the third increase in three years. Should the city make other budget cuts to offset these increases? If so, what should they include?

I do not support any tax increase.  I have never seen a budget that could not be reduced.  All wasteful spending needs to be removed from the budget before tax increases are considered.

For challengers: What would you do differently to bring more jobs to the city?

I believe we need to locate property that is suitable for business and market those locations. I believe we should provide tax incentive proposals to potential businesses. 

Aside from school construction, what other capital improvement projects in the city are important to you and how will you fund them?

There are no projects that I am aware of that need to be pursued with the current economic conditions.