FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Franklin City Councilman Christian Marshall will seek a Republican nomination in the May primary election for an at-large city council position.

Marshall took office in February 2020 to fulfill the remainder of Mike Dulaney’s seat when Dulaney became a Venango County Commissioner.

A lifelong Franklin resident and 21 year Venango County employee, Marshall has been employed in the county’s mental health, child welfare, juvenile probation, and district attorney’s office.

During his tenure on council, Marshall has advocated for aggressive enforcement of city housing codes to improve neighborhoods, supporting and growing downtown businesses, and ensuring city workers and first responders are fully staffed and afforded the training and equipment to perform their jobs as well as possible.

“As the son and brother of police officers and working as a crime victim advocate in the district attorney’s office law enforcement has always been a part of my life. We as a council and community need to do all we can to ensure their safety, high level of quality work, and professionalism continues.”

He has also advocated for computers in police cars to help law enforcement do their jobs more efficiently and safely. The 2021 city budget included that request. He continues to push for a fully staffed department to cut down on overtime costs and reduce officer fatigue/burnout.

Marshall also spoke about the incredible job the local business community did over the past year.

“Our community rallied behind them by supporting local businesses as they adapted to stay open and keep their employees working. Several other new businesses opened and others outgrew their space. I have always admired someone who pursued their dreams to make them a reality, and during the past year that is something that should be commended. I am proud of what we have done so far and hope to continue to build on that.”

Marshall has also spoken about the need to be aggressive and innovative when it comes to code enforcement.

“Everyone deserves to have a neighborhood they can feel safe in and be proud of. I want visitors and potential business owners to have a positive first impression of our town and code enforcement is part of that. I am well aware of those homes that need some attention and I want to work to help ensure those areas can begin to get better. I want to be proactive so other areas are addressed before it becomes a larger issue. These issues didn’t happen overnight and solving the problem can be long and difficult but we owe it to the people in those neighborhoods to do something.

Marshall has been an active participant in numerous productions at the Barrow Civic Theater, a member of the local Elks lodge, a board member of Venango Area Riding for the Handicapped, and a board member for the recently resumed Franklin Moving Forward.