Cr James (Jim) Rinaldi

Cr Rinaldi was elected as the Councillor for the North ward in October 2024. This is his third term on Council having served as a Councillor from 2014 until 2020, including serving as Deputy Mayor in 2019.  

He was born in Ballarat and is passionate about the past, present and future of the city. Ballarat has excellent health and education facilities and lifestyle for its residents. He particularly loves the history of the city and believes that every area has its own story to tell.

Cr Rinaldi’s focus for the 2024-2028 Council term is on maximising the opportunities to strategically plan our northern growth zones to ensure they have the fundamentals in place to ensure long-term livability. The townships of Miners Rest, Cardigan Village and Learmonth infrastructure and traffic management will be critical, along with flooding and drainage issues across the municipality, in particular in the North Ward.

He is excited about the showgrounds being established in Mount Rowan and looks forward to accommodating the growth opportunities attached to the Ballarat Airport precinct and Ballarat West Employment Zone. Cr Rinaldi is also keen to advocate for new train platforms at Mars Stadium and the new showgrounds to increase transport connections for events. This will allow Ballarat to host large events and increase economic growth for the city. 

Cr Rinaldi has over 27 years' experience in the food industry running his own business. He has also run his own farm for years and has a strong understanding of rural land management.

He is a member of the local Landcare group and the Ballarat Sportsmen’s Club and is a previous Commerce Ballarat Board member.  

His personal interests and hobbies include marathon running, having competed in 15 of the last 16 Melbourne Marathons. He has played senior football in Ballarat and has also coached senior football for 10 years. Cr Rinaldi also has a strong interest in basketball.

• Planning Delegated Committee
• City Partnerships Delegated Committee
• Coghill’s Creek/Glendaruel Cemetery
• Learmonth Cemetery
• Ballarat Airport/Aerodrome Stakeholder Reference Group
• Lake Learmonth Stakeholder Reference Group 

Cr Jim Rinaldi 
Email: jimrinaldi@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Phone: 0408 456 774