by Tara Granahan, WPRO
You can hear it in his voice. Yes, former Providence mayor Joe Paolino is empathetic to the homeless, the drug-addicted, and the masses which have accrued in Kennedy Plaza. But he’s also ticked off. Paolino told WPRO’s Tara Granahan, “I don’t like the way my city looks.”
Calling the downtown Providence area a disaster, Paolino has pledged to work with the current administration under Mayor Jorge Elorza to tackle the ongoing issues the city and businesses there are enduring, including aggressive panhandling, crime, public urination, and open drug-dealing.
Paolino told Tara he was pleased Mayor Elorza showed up to a recent meeting to address the problems, but added, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way!” The former mayor also said he doesn’t want a months-long study, he doesn’t need any study to understand what needs to be done, and “I’m a bottom line guy… If I do see it’s not aggressive enough, I will speak out. I’m not shy.”
Watch the video Paolino made to identify the issues he says need to be addressed in Kennedy Plaza below:
