With passion and some help from friends, attorney Jazmin Newton enters Scott Co. Supervisors race

And she has some high-profile endorsements and a passionate group of supporters — including her own family.

At her office Thursday, Newton officially announced her candidacy for the Scott County Board of Supervisors. Two positions will be up for election in November. Republicans Tony Knobbe and Ken Beck announced their re-election campaigns earlier this year.

"The decision to run for office was not one I made alone. As a family, we sat at the dinner table and we discussed the possibilities," Newton said. Her husband Bryan and children Eric, Ethan and Mila, stood right beside her as well as her parents, Ricardo and Ofelia. 

"Together, we made a decision that Scott County needs me and that I should run for office." 

Newton, a Davenport native, is president of the League of Latin American Citizens Council #10 and the Deputy State Director of the Iowa LULAC. She also serves as commissioner for the Davenport Affirmative Action Commission, the Bi-State Regional Commission and is a board member of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the American Association of University Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and LeadHer.

In her announcement, Newton highlighted the 100-year anniversary of the women's suffrage movement resulting in the 19th amendment. Yet, she said, women still are not represented proportionately in office. "As one of my favorites, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, stated, 'Women belong in all places decision are being made.' We must do a better job in Scott County by representing all our residents." 

Newton touted her experience as a small business owner, attorney, social justice advocate and her community work. She argued that investing in Scott County's people, economy, communities and children is what matters. Saying Scott County's growth lags behind other counties in Iowa, she cautioned that if action is not taken, the county will fall behind. "We need to invest in our future now so we can attract new talent and businesses, and also entice our children and grandchildren to stay here and call Scott County our home."

In her announcement, Newton was joined by a trio of high-profile supporters.

Supervisor Ken Croken, who's is in the middle of his first term on Scott County's board, kicked off the event with a shot at the board's current standing. 

"We in Scott County have a problem. To be precise, we have three problems, two of which we could address in November," Croken said, seemingly referring to Republicans Beck and Knobbe. Republican John Maxwell and Democrat Brinson Kinzer are also in the middle of four-year terms.

Croken hammered what he sees as a lack of transparency on the board, noting votes for the county's strategic plan — which he referred to as not strategic — and on a maximum tax levy happened without public input. "How do you do that with a $100 million budget? Well, you meet at times and locations that no one can get to, you keep everything on the DL, you're not forthcoming," he said. 

Davenport Mayor Mike Matson also spoke in favor of Newton, who had endorsed him for mayor in February 2019.

Matson praised Newton as sincere and conscientious. "If you put her in a position to be a supervisor, she will think of you. She will think 'How will this help Scott County grow? How will this help Scott County be a better place for folks to raise their family, to live, to work, to do whatever it is you do?'" he said.

NAACP Davenport vice president Vera Kelly called Newton "great" and said she will make a difference. "We want you to give her a chance, Kelly said. "She wants a change. And we need somebody on that Scott County board that represents the Quad-Cities."