INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – Rep. John Rizzo, D-Independence, has been joined by two other Democrats in the race for Senate District 11, which includes north-central Jackson County, including Northeast Kansas City, Sugar Creek, and Independence.
Both Sugar Creek Mayor Dr. Matt Mallinson and former Jackson County Democratic Committee Executive Director Jessica Podhola have thrown their hats in this month.
The three are the only candidates filed with campaign committees for the seat with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Mallinson filed his committee on the 28th, while Podhola jumped in on December 4.
Mallinson is mayor of Sugar Creek, a small business owner, on the Independence School Board, and a pharmacist.
Podhola joined the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 3 as the Director of Governmental Affairs after serving as the executive director of the Jackson County Democratic Committee. She is also President Emeritus of the Board of Trustee’s of Unity of Independence.
The two join Rizzo in the race. Rizzo, a marketing consultant, was elected to the House in 2010 and has served as minority whip since 2013.
Rizzo had $70,278.73 on hand in October, while neither Mallinson or Podhola have filed a finance report in their young committees.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.