Newcomer seeks Cook County Circuit Court Clerk job from Green Party

Editor's note: This is the first of three stories about the candidates running for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk - Green Party candidate Paloma Andrade, Democratic incumbent Dorothy Brown and Republican Diane Shapiro.

The saying "go big or go home" certainly applies to political newcomer Paloma Andrade, Green Party candidate for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk.

In 2007, Andrade ran as an Independent for Chicago's 14th Ward alderman seat against Democratic incumbent Edward Burke, who has held that seat for 39 years. On Nov. 4, she takes on Democratic incumbent Dorothy Brown and Republican candidate Diane Shapiro for the position of circuit court clerk, who's responsible for maintaining the files of the largest consolidated court system in the world.

"I'm an activist," said Andrade, a bilingual special education teacher and mother of four, who ran against Burke to give voice to the ward's Latino residents. "I don't consider myself a politician."

If elected, she will address the issue of lost files first.

"I understand the frustration of going to the clerk's office, having to wait a long time and finding out the file is lost," said Andrade, who currently serves as the Green Party's 14th Ward committeeman.

Responding to a Daily Herald candidate questionnaire, she cited as her primary objective ensuring that "court files get to the right destination." She plans to implement a system that scans all files electronically so that "they won't disappear anymore" and estimates that the office "would be running electronically by the beginning of 2011."

Andrade agrees with Republican challenger Shapiro that outdated technology poses a major problem for the circuit court clerk's office. To that end, Andrade said she will cut her salary by 25 percent and put the money toward upgrading the computer system. Cracking down on patronage and nepotism would further reduce costs, she said.

Emphasizing honor, integrity and transparency, Andrade promises to review every position to determine whether it's necessary and to evaluate every employee to determine his or her qualifications. She promises to eliminate unnecessary jobs, remove unqualified employees and improve customer service among the department's 2,300 employees.

With a campaign war chest that totals about $1,500 - minuscule compared to the cash balance of $76,319 Brown reported to the state elections board in late July - Andrade acknowledges that hers is an uphill battle. Still, she feels compelled to fight.

"It's been a struggle but I cannot stay away, it's in my blood," she said. "I'm not doing it for money. I'm doing it for the people. I'm more interested in seeing justice served, as I've demonstrated with my independent leadership."