Election 2020

Democrat Newton sees bigger role for supervisors

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After service to LULAC, the Quad-City Chamber of Commerce, Bi-State Regional Commission, and other local groups, Jazmin Newton aspired to elected office.

She arrives on this year’s county supervisor ballot dissatisfied with the county’s slow growth, and eyeing a bigger role for supervisors.

Newton believes supervisors need a bigger voice in riverfront flood management, rural and urban public safety, and economic development.

“Everything that happens within Scott County, the board should have a role and sit at the table.

“I hear people say Scott County is doing fine. I want to read that we’re doing great,” she said.

Her growth benchmarks are Polk, Linn and, particularly, Johnson counties. She wonders if Johnson might eclipse Scott as Iowa’s third largest.

“Have we grown as much as we should have? My opinion is we have not,” she said.

Newton was a single mom in 2008 when she returned to Blackhawk College to complete an associate’s degree. A bachelor’s from University of Iowa followed, and by 2013, she was a Northern Illinois University law school grad.

She commuted all the way.

After graduation, Newton established a law practice and accepted civic leadership roles at Bi-State, the Hispanic Chamber and elsewhere. LULAC leadership fueled her  drive for elected office. She is LULAC Quad-City chapter president, and on the state board.

Now, the mother of three said county supervisor is a role she can fill while maintain her law practice and raising her family with husband, Bryan.

She says she represents a gender and background missing from the board now.

“I won’t say I have a magic wand that can fix all issues. But I certainly think we can make improvements,” she said.

More public engagement

She applauded the board’s online sessions through the pandemic and urged that they continue.

Newton would add topical meetings on community issues with private and non-profit leaders. She acknowledged the supervisors’ tradition of visiting every town council and affiliated board. She would prefer more, like former Davenport mayor Frank Klipsch’s listening sessions.

Juvenile detention

Newton sees the county’s juvenile detention dilemma as a prime subject for wider civic engagement. Counties will be unable to house juveniles with adult defendants, forcing expansion of bed space and programming. Supervisors discussed study results and launched expansion plans. Newton said that’s not enough.

“The results were made available sometime last year. To date, we see no movement. No discussions, no plans how we would handle that issue,” she said.

She envisions broader discussions with school leaders, police and non-profits to curb offenses, as well as add bed space.

Some answers will require supervisors lobbying in Des Moines. “Universal pre-school would make a huge difference,” she said.

But she’s committed to more space for juvenile offenders. “We’re taking children already at risk in the system, putting them further away from family ties and connections that can help,” she said.

Jail expansion

Newton said she needs to learn lots more before supporting major jail expansion. Lessons learned during the pandemic should continue to reduce inmate populations. She favors investment in mental health and jobs training as equally effective in addressing the overcrowding the jail had experienced until the pandemic.

Staff pay

Newton also said she would act on last year’s payroll study, that she said concluded up to 30 percent of staff is under paid.

“Again, nothing was done. We can’t end this over night. But it won’t fix itself unless you have plans in place. Otherwise, these studies are just a waste of tax dollars,” she said.

Benchmarks

Newton named three benchmarks for county improvement: Unemployment, poverty rate and per capita income. She said Scott lags behind Iowa’s other metro counties.

“To me, there’s a lot of improvement we can do. I’m not going to say we’re doing horrible. We’re doing OK. I think we can do better.”

She suggested partnering with rural towns to plan development, not just react to it.

“Rural development oftentimes is seen as positive or negative; seldom in between. We should protect our very, very precious farmland. I look at farming as a business that feeds America. I think we can work around a middle ground. My suggestion would be reaching out to Blue Grass, Buffalo, Long Grove, and working with them. I think they have potential to grow and space to bring in businesses and larger corporations.”

Newton pledged fiscal responsibility, but not a tax freeze. “I’m not running a campaign that says in the next four years we’re not raising your taxes. Sometimes you have to spend a little money to invest. I’m not saying for sure I’d raise taxes. But it is something I would consider if elected and review it with other supervisors.”

Jazmin Newton, Scott County Board of Supervisors, Frank Klipsch

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