Norma Burgos

Norma E. Burgos Andújar is a Puerto Rican politician. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2000. She also served as the 16th Secretary of State under Governor Pedro Rosselló (1995–1999).

Early years and studies

Norma Burgos Andújar was born in Chicago, Illinois, but raised in Puerto Rico. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, where she obtained both a Bachelor's degree (Cum Laude) with a major in Economy, and a Master's degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Administration. She continued post-graduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Housing Management where she obtained the title Housing Administrator. She is also a Licensed Professional Planner.

Political career

Burgos began her political career occupying several positions in the Municipality of San Juan, working for Mayors Carlos Romero Barceló and Hernán Padilla. She worked in areas like municipal administration, statistics, federal ruling, and others.

During the administration of Baltasar Corrada del Río and Héctor Luis Acevedo, she served as Executive Director of the Corporation for Development of Old San Juan (CODEVISA). She led several projects of restoration and remodelation of squares and public spaces in Old San Juan. She also served as advisor for the Department of Transportation in some projects of public transportation.

After Pedro Rosselló was elected Governor of Puerto Rico in 1993, Burgos was appointed as President of the Planification Board. She remained in that position until 1998. During that time, she presided over several groups like the one in charge of the establishment of the Energy Public Policy, the Implementation of Deregulation in Government, and the New Economic Development Model for Puerto Rico (1994).

Chief of Staff: 1995-1999

In 1995, Governor Rosselló appointed Burgos to serve as Secretary of State.^[1] As Secretary of State, Burgos also served on several Special Commissions, such as: the Commission for the Study of a Unicameral Legislature, the Commission for the Study of the Naturopathy Profession, the Accident Prevention and Safety Committee, the Centennial Commission of Puerto Rican Democracy USA-PR, and the Special Commission on the Island of Vieques.

During this time, Burgos was also elected unanimously as Vice-president of the party and chaired its Platform Committee in 1996. In 1999, Burgos resigned to her position as Chief of Staff to campaign for Senator.

Senator:2000-2012

Burgos was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in the 2000 general elections and reelected in 2004. In both occasions, she was the second candidate with most votes among all candidates, and the one with most votes among her fellow party candidates.^[2][3] In 2005, she was appointed by Senate President [[Kenneth McClintock]] as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Welfare and the Joint Commission on Health Rights, as well as member of several other committees.

At the PNP primaries in 2008, Burgos was the candidate with most votes for the Senate positions.^[4] In the 2008 elections she was again re-elected to a third term, this time being the third candidate with most votes. She was then appointed by current Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz as Chairwoman of the Senate Commission for Economic Development and Planning and the Joint Commission on Public Private Partnerships. She is also Vice Chairwoman of the Urban and Infrastructure Committee, and member of the Committees on Finance, Trade and Cooperatives, Women Affairs, Banking, Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations. In addition, she has served on the Joint Commission on Fiscal and Management Audit of Public Funds and the Special Committee on Government Reform of the Senate of Puerto Rico.

In 2008, she served as a member of Puerto Rico's 53-delegate delegation to the Democratic National Convention held in Denver, elected on then-Senator Barack Obama's slate. She subsequently campaigned for Obama's presidential campaign in Orlando, Florida in a historic campaign swing that brought together pro-statehood Democrats such as her, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and then-Senate President McClintock, along with pro-Commonwealth Democrats such as Democratic Party state chair Roberto Prats and Senator Eduardo Bhatia.

Mayoral Candidate for the city of Caguas: 2012

Burgos announced her intent to run for the mayoralty of the city of Caguas. Citing the general decay of the city following the death of former mayor William Miranda Marin and during the subsequent term of William Miranda Torres. She has cited that the city currently has a growing budgetary deficit and that the city currently ignores the population of the rural parts of the city. She has promised to bring an extension of the "Tren Urbano" to connect Caguas with the rest of the Metropolitan Area. She lost the election.

Personal life

Norma Burgos is the mother of two sons, Roberto and Norman Benítez, who are federal officials. She has one granddaughter (Stella Sofia) and a grandson (Lucca Enzio).

References