[See this post in Español]
Interview with Amáda Márquez Simula – Running for Mayor of Columbia Heights, MN.
Amáda Márquez Simula is a Minnesota Latina and active community leader for the city of Columbia Heights, MN where she is running for mayor. Columbia Heights has a population of 19,496 people, with 11.9% of it’s population being Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2010 US Census.
We got the opportunity of getting to know Amáda in an interview conducted by Wendy Zuñiga of Minnesota Latinos. You can watch the interview above or here.
[Start of interview]
Q: Who is Amáda?
A: she is a community leader, community organizer, mother of four kids, gardener, musician, volunteer, and yogi (#yogaeveryday). Born in Madison, Wisconsin – her mother is American, and her father is Mexican. She is not fluent in Spanish but, she can understand a lot of it when someone else speaks it and she continues to practice to improve her Spanish.
Q: Why did you decide to run for Mayor?
A: Many people in the community have asked her to run for Mayor – knowing that the community is behind her, that they want her to run and to represent them encouraged her to run. She feels passionate about being a civil servant and has been very involved as a volunteer in the city of Columbia Heights for over 7 years.
Q: What did you do to earn the 2017 Columbia Heights Humanitarian of the Year award?
A: She was recommended for the award because she had been very involved in the city of Columbia Heights and people noticing her contributions – people said to her that they believed it was just the start of what she would do for the city and that they expected to see big things from her.
Here are some of Amáda’s accomplishments in the city of Columbia Heights:
- Manager of the Columbia Heights Public Schools Adult Enrichment & Senior Program
- Columbia Heights Public Schools Community Education Advisory Board Member
- Columbia Heights Public School District Finance Committee Member
- City of Columbia Heights Public Works Employee
- Columbia Heights Lions Club Member
- Fridley-Columbia Heights Rotary Club Member
- Neighborhood Watch Block Captain
- Past President of HeightsNEXT
- 2017 Columbia Heights Humanitarian of the Year
Q: Are there frustrations that come with running for office as a woman and POC?
A: Yes. The first fist day that she announced on Facebook that she was running, someone commented “so we should just vote for her because she is Latina?”. However, she does not use her ethnic background as a reason for people to vote for her – but if you want to vote for her just because she is a Latina, that is OK too.
Q: What would you say to those that want to get involved in politics but feel unsure?
A: First, to give her a call – she would love to help them make it happen. She said that most of the city’s boards are still filled with mostly white men, so she encourages women and POC to get involved and recommends volunteering. She wants to serve as a bridge for anyone that wants to get involved in the city.
[End of interview]
We felt that Amáda is a genuine person that cares about her community and is passionate about serving others. We were impressed by her involvement and accomplishments in the city of Columbia Heights. We do not think you should vote for her simply because she is a Latina, however, we invite you to learn more about her.
We thank Amáda for the opportunity to interview her and wish her the best in her campaign.
To learn more about Amáda Márquez Simula, visit her website at https://www.voteamada.com/.
We also want to remind everyone that this year’s elections are coming up quickly; we encourage everyone to get informed about candidates running for office locally as well as nationally and to let your voices be heard by voting on November 3rd, 2020. For voter information in Minnesota visit https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/VoterRegistration/VoterRegistrationMain.aspx
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This interview was sponsored by LOBOS REALTY GROUP, partner with Keller Williams Realty.
Any reference in this website to any person, or organization, or activities, products, or services related to such person or organization, or any linkages from this website to the website of another party, do not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring of Minnesota Latinos, or any of its employees or contractors acting on its behalf.
