Maria Rinaldi - Delegate for Bernie

My name is Maria Rinaldi. Paralyzed from a diving accident at the age of 12, I work hard to be as independent as possible. I have been employed by Saint Michael’s College for the past 15 years. I am also the volunteer musical director of the Winooski Community Chorus.

I am a huge Bernie Sanders supporter. I have been faithfully following his every move since he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in April 2015. I truly love who he is as a human being and the message he is spreading across this nation.

Because of Bernie, I am learning more about how the political process works. I never understood how delegates elect the nominee, but I knew I wanted to try my best to become a Bernie delegate. I wanted to be absolutely certain that people like myself, committed to Bernie and to the cause, were the ones going to the National Convention. It meant pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I have never run for anything in my entire life. All I kept telling myself was, Bernie is doing his part and now I’ve got to do mine.

At the end of March, each Vermont town held a caucus to elect town delegates to go to the State Convention. I went to the Jericho town caucus with signs, flyers and a prepared speech. I asked co-workers and fellow Jerichonian friends to show up and caucus for me. As it turned out, not many people showed up. In fact, half the room was filled with people I had invited! Everyone in the room who wanted to be elected a town delegate was automatically appointed. It was a little anti-climatic after all the work I had done to prep for the day, but I was glad to be through to the next step!

I had a feeling it would not be quite so easy at the State Convention. Only 11 of the 16 delegate positions are chosen at the State Convention. 6 of them must be filled by women and 5 of them by men. Less than two weeks before the convention, the Democratic Party released a list of town delegates (630 total). Of those 630 delegates, nearly 120 of them were vying to become a national delegate.

I reached out to a friend and colleague, Jason Lorber, who had also served as a State Representative to give me advice on how to campaign and craft a message.  He told me everyone would be talking about how much they have done for Bernie and instructed me to find a niche that set me apart from the other candidates. I told him that one major concern of mine is that I am still unable to marry the person I love because I would lose my Medicaid health coverage. In that moment, he was like, “That’s it! You need to go to Philadelphia to be a voice for the disabled because you should not have to choose between your healthcare and marrying the person you love.”

I campaigned hard for two weeks with this messaging as my guiding principle. I sent out e-mails. I asked others to reach out to folks they know on my behalf. I received endorsements from current and former State Representatives:


Mike (my partner) and I drove our RV down to the Barre Opera House the night before the State Convention so that I could be there in the morning. I need care several times during the day and the RV is setup for my needs (that is why we will be taking it to Philadelphia and living out of it instead of a hotel). Mike spray painted 8′ x 4′ signs to display in the parking lot of the Barre Opera House. The placement and size of the signs were perfect. No once could miss them as they drove into the lot to find a parking spot.


I spoke with delegates as they arrived. I was nervous that no one would know me or care about my cause, but it was just the opposite. Almost everyone I spoke with told me they had received my e-mails and were voting for me. Members of the party were coming up to tell me I had run one of the best campaigns they had ever seen. It was so gratifying that all my hard work was making a difference.

The energy at the convention was amazing. It was clearly all about Bernie, as you can read in this article from Seven Days. Mid-way through the morning, the delegates seeking election to the National Convention had to give a 30-second speech. Here I am asking for their vote:


It took approximately one hour for all the delegates to run through their speeches. We then marked our ballots – one ballot for the men and one ballot for the women. The winners were announced in the afternoon:


I can’t tell you how incredibly excited I was to be at the top of the list! Afterwards, party leaders came up and congratulated me. They assured me that they are committed to doing everything they can to make sure
everything goes smoothly for me in Philadelphia.

Delegates are responsible for all the costs they incur. I am reaching out to you to ask your assistance to help defray the costs. We will be staying in our RV while there. It gets 6 miles to the gallon, so fuel will be a large part of our expense and staying at campgrounds on the way down and the way back, so we can dump our tanks and fill with water before and after the convention. We will essentially be dry camping for the week. We are hoping to have access to a power outlet, otherwise we will have to run the generator, which also eats fuel. We also will need to cover our own food and any other incedentals.

The delegates will be busy from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. The day begins at the hotel where we will be given our credentials for the day. In the afternoon, we will be at a convention center in downtown Philadelphia. After 5:00 p.m., we will be in the Wells Fargo Center which is what will be televised each night. I am looking forward to hearing speeches from Elizabeth Warren and the President and First Lady!  The VT Democratic party is making arrangements for us to park the RV at each venue, so that I can access it when I need it during the day. Mike, who is also my full-time care-giver, will be given the same credentials as me, so he can be there when I need something.

I am looking forward to this amazing experience. I am also dedicated to making sure Bernie has all the support he needs at the convention. If there is a second vote, I will work tirelessly with my team of delegates to make sure Bernie becomes the nominee. I also want to be a voice for disability rights when the platform is determined. I have met some fantastic people who have offered to work with me to draft a resolution to the platform.

It means so much to me that I can be a voice for Vermonters and a voice for disabled Americans. I would be so thankful for any help you can provide to make this once-in-a-lifetime experience possible. Thank you!

Maria Rinaldi
Jericho / Chittenden County
Bernie Sanders State & National Pledged Delegate

P.S. If you would prefer to mail me a check, just message me and I will send you my mailing address.