) is a politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

, representing the riding of Northumberland—Quinte West

Northumberland—Quinte West (provincial electoral district)

Northumberland—Quinte West is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2007 provincial election...

 for the Ontario Liberal Party

Ontario Liberal Party

The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

.

Rinaldi moved to Canada with his family in 1960. He received an automotive technology diploma from George Brown College

George Brown College

George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...

, and started a small business in the automotive field in 1972. He moved to Brighton, Ontario

Brighton, Ontario

Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....

 in 1980, having purchased Brighton Speedway, a family entertainment venue.

Rinaldi's political career began at the municipal level. He was appointed to council in the former Brighton township

Township (Canada)

The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...

 in 1992, and was subsequently won election to the same position. He was subsequently elected as deputy reeve. He was appointed reeve of the township in 1998, and in late 2000 was elected mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the newly amalgamated municipality of Brighton

Brighton, Ontario

Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....

. He was officially sworn in to the latter office on January 10, 2001. As mayor, he presided over the establishment of the Brighton Health Services Centre in the community.

In the provincial election of 2003

Ontario general election, 2003

The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, Rinaldi defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...

 Doug Galt

Doug Galt

Doug Galt is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and an unsuccessful contender for the Canadian House of Commons in 2004....

 by about 2500 votes to become the new Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Northumberland. The Liberals won the election, and Rinaldi was named parliamentary assistant to David Caplan

David Caplan

David Caplan is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty...

, the Ontario Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, on October 23, 2003. He was re-elected in 2007. Currently, Rinaldi is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Municipal Affairs).

Electoral record

|-

|Lou Rinaldi
|align="right"|22,288
|align="right"|45.4
|align="right"|
|-

|Cathy Galt
|align="right"|15,328
|align="right"|31.2
|align="right"|
|-

|Carolyn Blaind
|align="right"|6,481
|align="right"|13.2
|align="right"|
|-

|Judy Smith Torrie
|align="right"|5,020
|align="right"|10.2
|align="right"|
|}

|-

|Lou Rinaldi
|align="right"|20,382
|align="right"|45.05
|align="right"|+1.08
|-

|Doug Galt

Doug Galt

Doug Galt is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and an unsuccessful contender for the Canadian House of Commons in 2004....

|align="right"|17,816
|align="right"|39.37
|align="right"|-6.62
|-

|Murray Weppler
|align="right"|5,210
|align="right"|11.51
|align="right"|+5.19
|-

|Derrick J. Kelly
|align="right"|1,839
|align="right"|4.06
|align="right"|+1.39
|}

External links