On Friday, March 5, Andy Cutler, Christine West and Melissa Withers sat down for coffee with former mayor Joseph Paolino to talk about his brewing interest in the upcoming Mayoral election. The Uncaucus founding members have offered all candidates who express interest the same opportunity: 30 minutes of face time in a neutral spot for an on-the-record conversation. Here is a summary of the conversation we had with Mr. Paolino on March 5, 2010.
1. Mr. Paolino contacted The Uncaucus shortly after the group went public with its mayoral attraction campaign. In his initial email he stated he was facing several important decisions in light of the election dynamics this year and that he thought a conversation with the Uncaucus might be useful as he contemplates the future.
2. We met with Mr. Paolino at 7:30am at Seven Stars Bakery on Broadway.
3. After brief introductions, our conversation shifted to the Mayoral election.
4. Mr. Paolino asked the Uncaucus representatives to discuss their interests and motives. The Uncaucus reiterated their interest in creating an ongoing dialog about the qualities that citizens and residents want leadership to embody. The Uncaucus shared its belief that disengagement of the citizenry from the political process and City Hall operations is a barrier to progress in the City that can and should be addressed. The group also discussed the high percentage of residents who have moved to Providence in the past 10 years who do not carry the “baggage” of institutional history with respect to the local political scene.
5. The group asked Mr. Paolino to characterize his current relationship with former Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci. Mr. Paolino conceded that earlier in their careers the two politicians were “bitter rivals.” Mr. Paolino recounted how through a series of letters and visits while Mr. Cianci was in federal prison, he and Mr. Cianci, over many months of correspondence, became friends. According to Paolino, the two forged a personal connection based on long-standing ties between their two families and their shared histories as men who had grown up and raised families in Providence. Mr. Paolino said that he considered Mr. Cianci a friend and described him as someone he would call upon for insight and advice if Paolino were again to serve as Mayor.
6. Mr. Paolino gave the group an abridged biographical history of his political life. Mr. Paolino served as the mayor of Providence from 1984 to 1991; served as Rhode Island’s director of economic development under former Governor Bruce Sundlun; and as an ambassador to Malta during the Clinton administration.
7. When asked how he would work to solve tough problems if he was unsure of the correct solution, he said one approach he would use is to reach out to those with political experience to get their insight. Specifically, he named former Mayors Ciance and Cicilline, Rep. Steven Costantino and City Councilor John Lombardi as people he would turn to for counsel.
8. Asked to describe how he might consider engaging the public more in government, he said that he would institute neighborhood meetings where citizens could listen to/meet with members of the mayoral cabinet to discuss topical issues.
9. Mr. Paolino described himself as “not much of a process guy” and very focused on “getting things done.”
10. The group asked Mr. Paolino to describe the biggest “mistake” he made while serving as Mayor. He replied that his biggest mistake was the mismanagement of an issue within the Police Department. Mr. Paolino said that in retrospect he waited too long to take a decisive action, consenting to let the chief of police, who was new to the job, attempt to handle the issue internally. Mr. Paolino said if he faced that situation today he would act quickly and decisively. The situation involved a mob informant who was being bankrolled by the police in an inappropriate manner.
11. Mr. Paolino characterized the biggest regret he had about his term as Mayor as not reaching out to other established political actors who could have exerted influence in a manner that increased the effectiveness of his administration.
12. Mr. Paolino was adamant in his position that the Providence Police Department is not performing well. Mr. Paolino contends that the city needs a public safety commissioner—a civilian who will serve as a liaison between the Mayor’s office and the police department.
13. When asked about education, Mr. Paolino felt it was important to note that the City of Providence has not had a Mayor with school-age children in recent memory. He felt that this has not helped the City’s schools. When asked if Mr. Paolino sent his children to Providence public schools, he stated that he did not. His children attended private schools and noted that Rhode Island had some of the best private schools in the nation and he wanted to provide his children with the best education possible.
14. On economic development, Mr. Paolino noted that lending was a major issue in Rhode Island, pointing out that many banks in the city have completely stopped lending to small business. He suggested that the next mayor should be much more aggressive about pressuring banks to lend, using city and state accounts as a lever to motivate banks to lend more.
15. In speaking about downtown, Mr. Paolino felt that development in Capital Center has been a failure, in so much as very few office buildings had been erected in the 10 years following his term as Mayor.
16. In response to a question about the Jewelry District/Knowledge District, Mr. Paolino expressed his support for the expansion of the universities and hospitals into real estate in that area, arguing that they would create the types of jobs we need, but also stated that the universities and hospitals should pay their “fair share” in property taxes for the ability to expand.
17. As for improving basic city services, he argued that the city’s slow payment schedule is the root cause of poor services (ostensibly because contractors will not work without guarantee that bills will be paid promptly).
The conversation ended politely after about 40 minutes. Mr. Paolino has not declared his candidacy for Mayor but has agreed to participate in the Uncaucus listening party on April 1.
