Linda Coleman-Madison
Linda Foster Coleman-Madison is an Alabama State Senator representing Senate District 20. She previously represented House District 60 in the Alabama House of Representatives and served for twelve years on the Birmingham City Council. She continues to serve the city of Birmingham as its American with Disabilities Act compliance officer.
Coleman graduated from Westfield High School and has attended Birmingham-Southern College and Samford University. She holds a bachelor of science from Alabama A&M University (1972) and a master of arts from UAB (1976). She worked as a teacher in the Birmingham City Schools system from 1972 to 1982.
Coleman was elected to a two-year at-large seat on the Birmingham City Council in 1985, and re-elected to a four-year term in 1987. Following a restructuring of City Council representation In 1989, she represented Birmingham City Council District 9, and was re-elected to that position in 1993.
Coleman defeated incumbent John Hilliard in the June 25, 2002 Democratic primary by a wide margin. She was endorsed by Donald Watkins's Voter News Network and was one of several Democratic challengers to defeat long-time incumbents. During the campaign Hilliard tried to label Coleman as a Republican in disguise.
She was sworn in as the representative of District 60 in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2003. She served one term before entering the race for the State Senate in 2006. She successfully challenged incumbent Sundra Escott-Russell in the 2006 Democratic primary and soundly defeated Republican challenger Mel Glenn in the general election on November 7. In the State Senate she chairs the committee on Health and also serves on several other committees. In 2013 she co-sponsored legislation enabling Birmingham to create Birmingham Land Bank Authority.
In addition to her work with the city and state, Coleman is a licensed realtor with ReMAX Realty Consultants and has worked in marketing and recruitment for the American Red Cross and the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority. She has served on the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board and on the boards of the Birmingham Turf Club, the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Alabama Black Caucus. She is a director of the Birmingham Chapter of the American Red Cross and a state director for the National Foundation of Women Legislators.
Preceded by: at large |
Birmingham City Council District 9 1985 - 1997 |
Succeeded by: LeRoy Bandy |
Preceded by: John Hilliard |
House District 60 2003 - 2006 |
Succeeded by: Earl Hilliard Jr |
Preceded by: Sundra Escott-Russell |
Senate District 20 2006 - |
Succeeded by: current |
References
- Cason, Mike (July 7, 2017) "Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison running for fourth term." The Birmingham News
External links
- Linda Coleman-Madison senate bio
- Linda Coleman-Madison at Ballotpedia.org
- Linda Coleman-Madison at Project Vote Smart