Page 32 - March 2022

Real Women Wear Badges
Improving the Neighborhood Chicago Police Officer Maria Nodal running for state rep to
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
How bad are things in the Illinois House of Representatives’ 39th District? For Chicago Police Officers, the 39th leg- islative district has become a bit of a no- fly zone.
The 39th includes Logan Square, where they have been detailed in excess, especially during riot alerts, to protect the mayor’s house. Additionally, the in- cumbent state rep is anti-police, an- ti-labor and known as a one of the most liberal socialist democrats in the House. And he was a proponent of HB3653, the police reform bill that passed last year.
Chicago Lodge 7 has targeted the 39th as a district where the incumbent must go. And the Lodge is putting is support
and political action behind member and 21-year Chicago Police Officer Maria Nodal to run against Representative Will Guzzardi.
“Change is needed to bring things back to a more moderate way,” respond- ed Nodal when asked about why she is venturing into the political arena. “There’s people who are very far left and people who are very far right. I’d like to bring consensus more than fighting, so we can get things done.”
Nodal grew up in the neighborhood, so she knows that the first and foremost change needed is to improve public safe- ty. People are afraid to come out of their houses, she says, and one of the resourc- es Nodal would like to bring is more
police to the district. She has invested enough in the neighborhood to know that a safer community will mean a more prosperous community.
She also brings the know-how from having worked in community policing. Nodal has been assigned to the 14th Dis- trict CAPS office since October, and she worked patrol in 013 for eight years.
32 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2022
bring change to a legislative district that truly needs it
c i l
a p a p l
w w e h t b p
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“I believe in helping young people
learn to make impactful decisions in o their life,” Nodal submitted. “A way to N
Nodal knows this community inside
and out, having worked at the YMCA
where she was involved in social work,
prior to coming on the job. In fact, if
elected, she wants to invest in one of the o district’s most important resources. t