Page 34 - March 2022

Real Women Wear Badges
From left, Stefany, Trysha and Ziola Solis are a CPD mother-daughter trio.
The Right Rep
Moving Monica Ortiz into a Lodge 7 field representative position clearly is what’s best for members
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
The telephone call was not intended to be a history-making inquiry. When the City agreed to give Lodge 7 an additional field representative position, President John Catanzara immediately dialed in Monica Ortiz.
As a trustee for the union’s executive board, Ortiz had been the top vote-getter in the 2020
election ahead of 63 others run-
ning for one of the 17 spots. Of
those, 60 were men. Ortiz was the only woman elected as trustee.
But Catanzara did not offer the field rep spot to Ortiz because of her gender. He had no such agenda, no intention to make a statement, other than to bring a member into work at the Lodge 7 office who had earned the spot.
Ortiz initially hesitated. Not that working with all men on this detail intimidated her. She has done so and achieved an im- mense amount in 24 years on the job.
After thinking about it for a few days, Ortiz accepted the challenge. Forget making histo- ry. Like she has done throughout her career, Ortiz is raising the bar, even shattering the ceiling.
“This was never part of some-
thing I ever envisioned, but I
definitely feel I have a position now that I want to set an ex- ample for younger women on the job to come up here and get involved in union work,” Ortiz declared. “You have to be willing to do the work, and hopefully by me being up here, it will lay a path for somebody to follow in my footsteps. That’s really my hope, and I think even John’s hope, too.”
Ortiz had done that on the street, and she began doing that with Lodge 7 when Catanzara appointed her to chair the newly created women’s committee when he was elected in spring of 2020. He had actually wanted her to run for an officer’s position on his 2020 Vision ticket and become the first woman in more than 20 years to be an officer and a field rep.
After seeing what she had accomplished with the women’s committee, Catanzara realized there was no better choice to take the field rep spot created when the city agreed to fund a mental health ombudsman position for the union that First Vice President Mike Mette has taken on.
“She earned her position, no doubt,” Catanzara confirmed.
“I think it’s only logical that people understand that we all bring different perceptions to this job. And a female will bring a differ- ent perspective. That was the whole point of creating the wom- en’s committee. So when we were able to get the city to agree to make Mike the ombudsman and open up that extra spot on their dime, it was not even a second thought that it was going to be anybody other than Monica.”
Being elected as a trustee and becoming a field rep so union leadership can better reflect the way the Department looks is part of the mission for Ortiz. The male-dominated landscape, however, is no big deal to her.
She grew up with three broth- ers who were always respectful of her. She has seen nothing but the same treatment since moving in as a field rep. Sure, she is the only woman sitting at the monthly board meeting, but Ortiz never sees it that way.
“It’s not something that over- whelms me because I feel like this is a brotherhood, and I am always of the view that we’re all blue,” Ortiz explained. “I don’t re- ally see men and women. We’re a family, and I only see blue.”
Her presence as a field rep cer- tainly could make a statement about how Lodge 7 is rising above union politics to make customer
service the priority.
“This team was not formed for that. This team was formed
with different people to bring something to the table, and I think it really works,” Ortiz continued. “Having been a street cop for 24 years then coming into the office, it’s all about being able to be of service to the members. Everything I do is for the membership.”
Like she worked her way up in the Department and can see how women have been able to achieve roles that make them invaluable to successful policing, Ortiz has worked her way up in the FOP. She served as a watch rep in the 16th District, as well as a unit rep in 016 and at O’Hare.
So the move to field rep has been part of her natural progres- sion to serve the members.
“I wanted to be more involved and have the knowledge,” she added. “I want to be able to bring information back to the troops, so they can feel they are getting reliable information that can put them at ease.”
34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2022