Biography
Ms. Andrade attended Benito Juarez High School and ended up graduating from Kelly High School class of 92. Ms. Andrade then attended Robert Morris College Class of 97 and received her degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. At Robert Morris College she was part of the Student Ambassador Scholarship program and the organization Alpha Beta Gamma (International Business Honor Society).
Furthermore, Paloma attended Dominican University to study Bilingual Special Education, while she was teaching in a resource classroom.
Paloma is a loving, friendly, humble and educated woman who realized that in order to make changes and to better the people’s discouragement and dependency’s condition; she has to be in the right position at the right time.
As a community member and citizen-activist, Ms. Andrade analyzed the condition of the Mexican American Community and found there is a need of a grass roots independent leadership to help the empowerment of the Latino people specially, in Chicago’s 14th ward. In 2006, she made the difficult decision to seek to represent her community after an incident in which while in the sanctuary of her home a bullet shot through her window. Even though, the police officer’s found the person’s who perpetuated the incident, no one was charged for the occurrence. Ms. Andrade is against the killing of children but at that time her own children could have gotten killed. Ms. Paloma Andrade then decided to run for the position of Alderman. Furthermore, since Ms. Andrade was a resident of Chicago’s 14th ward for 11 years, she decided to challenge her Alderman - Mr. Edward Burke.
In this process her goal was to offer the people a true democratic alternative, and to “become the change that she wants to see in the world” particularly in her community.
Mr. Edward Burke, in his 40 years as an Alderman has never been challenged for his position until Ms. Andrade ran for Alderman of the 14th ward on the 2007′s election. After a battle in court where she got challenged first in the board of elections, second she was taken to the civil court and then to the appellate courts for the time lapse of 2 moths in a struggle to represent her community, Ms. Andrade won the challenge 3 days before election dated on February 24, 2007. During the struggled and the biggest challenge of her life orchestrated by one of the most powerful “nuclear weapon of the democratic machine’s lawyer” Mr. Michael Kasper. With a lot of pain and disappointment from the democratic party and her alderman who she continuously voted for over and over, Ms. Andrade made a decision to join a progressive political party the Green Party. Ms. Andrade is the current 14th Ward Committeeman for the Green Party. She also ran for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk and received close to 100,000 votes particularly in Cook County’s 7th district. Paloma Andrade is currently running for the State Central Committeewomen of the 4th Congressional district. Furthermore, Ms. Andrade is currently running for Cook County Commissioner of 7th district, which covers predominantly the Mexican American communities of, Pilsen, Little Village, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards, part of McKinley Park, part of Gage Park and also part of Cicero.
Paloma’s accounting, political and community activism experience will make sure that she brings fiscal responsibility to the Cook County Board. Where the Commissioners and the Board President want to put the entire burden on the tax payers while their friend and family benefit from our sweat and tears of our labor. She will also make sure that the County Hospitals will be bilingual friendly and accessible to anyone regardless of their legal status in this country.
Click HERE to see my previous campaign website when I ran for Alderman in the 14th Ward of Chicago in March of 2007.
Paloma M. Andrade
