Rino Bortolin

By Justin Prince

On a cool fall afternoon in Windsor, Ont., just four days after the end of summer, children were kicking a soccer ball around Midtown Farmer’s Market in Ward 3. The smell of fresh cut grass and tomato sauce flooded the market, held in the parking lot of Rino’s Kitchen and Ale House.
Rino Bortolin, the owner of the restaurant since it opened about four years ago, was outside speaking with vendors, Monica and Brian Brandner, the owners of Brandner Farms. Inside about eight people sat at the tables, in the three-story brick house.

Upstairs is Bortolin’s campaign and restaurant office. It’s warm and stuffy, with a Ward 3 map and an old Phogfest poster from 2009 on the ceiling. More boxes filled with office supplies are stuffed into the corner. Bortolin’s son Jack, wearing an Italian soccer jersey, follows him into the office and sits at the computer. His father bought him a comic book from the market down below.

“The theme (of the restaurant) is a very casual pub fare with a focus on local,” said Bortolin. “People often say ‘it feels like we’re eating at a friends house.’ We often say it’s like eating at a house party or on the weekend.”

Bortolin says he’s been working in the industry since he was 13 years old. While he was a student at Catholic Central High School, his friend’s mother got him a job at a banquet hall. He originally loved the job because he has a little more spending money. But as the years went on, his interest in the hospitality business grew. By the time he was part of the school’s second graduating class in 1990, he was working part-time in a few different restaurants.
As he went from washing dishes to cooking the food, he was also studying in the University of Windsor’s Philosophy program. By the time he got his degree, his career was thriving in the culinary arts.

Bortolin isn’t just a restaurant owner. He’s running for Windsor city council for the second time.
Bortolin finished in the middle of the pack in the 2010 municipal election.

But according to the City of Windsor’s website, the ward also had one of the lowest turnouts in the cities last elections, with only 35 per cent of residents putting in their ballots.

Bortolin got just 435 votes, while Valentinis has 2,342.

“I did everything with limited help (last time),” he said, bringing in a fresh printout of platform cards. “I had a couple of good friends volunteering, but the campaign was 100 per cent on my shoulders. This year, we have a team.”

But with Valentinis not running for re-election, a person Bortolin says he respects, this year’s election is different.
According to Bortolin’s website, the platform for his campaign has seven main points, ranging from attracting people back downtown to better transit systems to higher standards for properties and bylaw enforcement. Bortolin, the head of the culinary tourism steering committee for Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island, says his platform is similar to what it was in 2010.

“I decided to run again just because of the same reasons we ran last time,” Bortolin said. “We wanted to bring a new fresh perspective to this area. I live in the area and I have a business here, so I have a lot invested in this community.”

As the day winds down, Bortolin gets up from the table and sits down next to his son. He has a lot of work to do he says, as he starts typing on the computer. His son moves over as he continues to read his comic book. The market outside is starting to pack up, as a group of crafters carry a table across the street to their minivan. The street next to the parking lot is under construction, with orange traffic cones sitting on the edge of the grass. Soon, the sun will set on another busy day in the race for Ward 3.