The March primary in House District 28 just got more interesting after three Democrats filed paperwork to challenge incumbent Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island).
Mary Carvlin of Blue Island, Shontel Johnson of Riverdale and Kimberly Nicole Koschnitzky of Oak Forest all joined to race to unseat Rita, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Rita has served as a member of the House since 2003, according to his biography from the Illinois General Assembly. As representative, he has been part of a variety of committees including chairperson of the Business & Occupational Licenses Committee, member of the Insurance: Health and Life Committee and the Justice System Subcommittee. He was a truck driver and heavy equipment operator for Cook County before entering politics.
Carvlin, alLifelong Illinois’ resident, is entering politics as a new career. Carvlin, who has lived in Blue Island for 28 years, was a middle school teacher in Chicago’s southern suburbs as well as an editor and writer at a major publishing corporation in downtown Chicago, according to her Facebook page. She believes she can serve the 28th District well because she will bring the energy and love for Blue Island to Springfield.
Koschnitzky has worked her way up in the car industry from an intern at Enterprise Rent-a-Car in 2013 to branch manager in 2016. She is currently the connected vehicle specialist – OnStar Fleet & Commercial for the North Central Region, according to her LinkedIn biography. Koschnitzky graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
There is no public information available about Johnson.
The 28th House District includes parts of Blue Island, Chicago, Oak Forest, Calumet Park, Crestwood, Midlothian, Riverdale, Robbins and Tinley Park.
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