Linda Newell
Encyclopedia
Linda Newell is a legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado
. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Democrat in 2008, Newell represents Senate District 26, which encompasses southern suburbs of Denver, including Littleton, Colorado
.
Newell has also served on the Denver Metro Regional Workforce Development Council and the Governor’s Taskforce on Workforce Development and has been a member of the National Business Executives, the Women’s Professional Network, the American Society of Training and Development, the Society for Human Resource Management
, and The Organizational Development Institute.
Newell has also volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations, including the American Red Cross
, the Special Olympics
, the March of Dimes
, Season for Non-Violence, Stalking Rescue, AXIS Intervention and Training Institute, and The Conflict Center, in addition to having served as the an Education Foundation Chairperson for a chapter of the American Association of University Women
and the Performing Arts Chair for the Lakewood Arts Council.
Newell is also a single mother of two daughters, Kate and Brittany, and currently resides in Littleton, Colorado
. As a single mother, Newell struggled in the past to pay down personal debt stemming from the Savings and Loan Crisis
and to provide health insurance
coverage for her family. Since being elected Newell has maintained an active role in her daughters' educations: Brittany is studying music performance at Arapahoe Community College and Kate is working towards her undergraduate degree in Diversity/Divinity at Regis University with plans to be an interfaith minister.
, upon his campaign for Congress, left an open seat in the historically Republican district. Newell kicked off her campaign in July 2008, and had no opposition in the August Democratic primary. Newell focused on grassroots campaigning, with supporters knocking on over 30,000 doors and making over 10,000 phone calls to prospective voters, focusing on the city of Centennial
. During her campaign, Newell focused on economic and education issues and called for increased resources for victims of domestic violence
.
She faced Republican Rep. Lauri Clapp in the November 2008 general election. Clapp, who had been term-limited out of the state house in 2006, was criticized by Newell for missing multiple candidate forums; in mid-October, Newell called for her opponent to make a public appearance. Clapp's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post, but as of mid-October, Newell had also out-raised her opponent, taking in $33,000 to Clapp's $30,000.
Newell's race was the closest of Colorado's legislative races. Two days after the election, Newell lead Clapp by only 69 votes out of 59,000 cast.
With the race undecided as provisional ballots were counted, Newell attended member orientation at the state capitol, and both candidates caucused with their respective parties before the race was settled. A final count, completed two weeks after the election, gave Newell a margin of 195 votes, a margin of victory large enough to avoid an automatic recount.
Newell's victory increased the Democrat's Senate majority by one seat over the previous legislative session. Looking towards representing a "swing" district, Newell began her Senate term by scheduling town hall meetings and a "listening tour" within her district.
During the 2009 session, Newell sponsored legislation recommended by the Child Welfare Action Group to require that social services case workers be trained in child welfare.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Democrat in 2008, Newell represents Senate District 26, which encompasses southern suburbs of Denver, including Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
.
Biography
Born in Oregon, Newell earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Irvine. She holds a certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources is a Registered Organization Development Professional, and has worked as a business consultant in the fields of human resources, corporate education and workforce development. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of Learning and Development at StarTek. She is now a contract senior consultant with EPI, a human performance consulting firm.Newell has also served on the Denver Metro Regional Workforce Development Council and the Governor’s Taskforce on Workforce Development and has been a member of the National Business Executives, the Women’s Professional Network, the American Society of Training and Development, the Society for Human Resource Management
Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management is a professional human resources association headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. The largest such association in its field, SHRM promotes the role of HR as a profession and provides education, certification, and networking to its members while lobbying...
, and The Organizational Development Institute.
Newell has also volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations, including the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
, the March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
, Season for Non-Violence, Stalking Rescue, AXIS Intervention and Training Institute, and The Conflict Center, in addition to having served as the an Education Foundation Chairperson for a chapter of the American Association of University Women
American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. It was founded in 1882 by Ellen Swallow Richards and Marion Talbot...
and the Performing Arts Chair for the Lakewood Arts Council.
Newell is also a single mother of two daughters, Kate and Brittany, and currently resides in Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
. As a single mother, Newell struggled in the past to pay down personal debt stemming from the Savings and Loan Crisis
Savings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
and to provide health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
coverage for her family. Since being elected Newell has maintained an active role in her daughters' educations: Brittany is studying music performance at Arapahoe Community College and Kate is working towards her undergraduate degree in Diversity/Divinity at Regis University with plans to be an interfaith minister.
2008 election
The retirement of Sen. Steve WardSteve Ward
Steve Ward may refer to:* Steve Ward , the former CEO of Lenovo* Steve Ward , the American politician* Steve Ward , Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman...
, upon his campaign for Congress, left an open seat in the historically Republican district. Newell kicked off her campaign in July 2008, and had no opposition in the August Democratic primary. Newell focused on grassroots campaigning, with supporters knocking on over 30,000 doors and making over 10,000 phone calls to prospective voters, focusing on the city of Centennial
Centennial, Colorado
The city of Centennial is a Home Rule City located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States, and part of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The city was to have a total population of 100,377 in 2010 census. Centennial is the tenth-most populous municipality in the state of Colorado and its...
. During her campaign, Newell focused on economic and education issues and called for increased resources for victims of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
.
She faced Republican Rep. Lauri Clapp in the November 2008 general election. Clapp, who had been term-limited out of the state house in 2006, was criticized by Newell for missing multiple candidate forums; in mid-October, Newell called for her opponent to make a public appearance. Clapp's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post, but as of mid-October, Newell had also out-raised her opponent, taking in $33,000 to Clapp's $30,000.
Newell's race was the closest of Colorado's legislative races. Two days after the election, Newell lead Clapp by only 69 votes out of 59,000 cast.
With the race undecided as provisional ballots were counted, Newell attended member orientation at the state capitol, and both candidates caucused with their respective parties before the race was settled. A final count, completed two weeks after the election, gave Newell a margin of 195 votes, a margin of victory large enough to avoid an automatic recount.
Newell's victory increased the Democrat's Senate majority by one seat over the previous legislative session. Looking towards representing a "swing" district, Newell began her Senate term by scheduling town hall meetings and a "listening tour" within her district.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Newell was named to seats on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Local Government and Energy Committee. She was also appointed to the Colorado Workforce Development Council.During the 2009 session, Newell sponsored legislation recommended by the Child Welfare Action Group to require that social services case workers be trained in child welfare.