The Danville City Council appointed former Del. Danny Marshall to fill a vacant council seat after public interviews of three finalists at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The council went into closed session after the interviews and unanimously selected Marshall to take the seat of Del. Madison Whittle, R-Danville, who was elected to represent the 49th House District in the General Assembly in November.
Whittle resigned from the city council Jan. 13, about halfway through his four-year term. Marshall will fill his seat until a special election is held in November to elect a candidate to finish the remaining year of Whittle’s term.
Marshall and the other finalists, Shelby Irving and Shakeva Frazier, each answered five questions at the public interview.
“We had a really strong group of candidates, and the city council is grateful to everyone who stepped forward to serve,” Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones said in a Tuesday news release from the city. “Danny Marshall brings a lot of experience at both the state and local level, and that perspective will be helpful as we keep working to move Danville forward.”
During the interview, Marshall spoke about his nearly 25 years representing Danville and the surrounding area in the General Assembly, and about his tenure on the city council from 2000 to 2001.
“I tried to get bills and resolutions forward that would help this community grow, such as Caesars, such as the 1% sales tax increase and on and on,” said Marshall, who represented the 49th House District as a Republican.
Marshall announced in February 2025 that he wouldn’t seek reelection for his seat in the General Assembly, citing health issues. Whittle was elected to replace Marshall in November.
Marshall received a lung transplant in March, and said that he wanted to continue to serve the Danville community.
During the Tuesday interview, he said that he would continue to prioritize bringing jobs to Danville and improving quality of life for residents.
“I’ve lived here my entire life and have seen this city through many changes,” he said in the news release. “I believe we are moving back toward being a thriving city.”
Marshall has had a hand in some of Southside’s biggest economic development and revitalization efforts.
He represented Danville on the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, which invests in economic development projects across Southwest and Southside Virginia.
The commission’s investment in industrial parks in this region spurred the development of the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill, which landed the largest economic development project in Southside’s history.