Paul was raised in Attleboro. His parents are retired pharmacists and small business owners. He spent many summers and days after school working in his parents' drug stores, where from a very young age he learned the hard work, service and the challenges and rewards of small business ownership.
The parks located throughout the city have also seen revitalization during my tenure. Finberg Field, Highland Park, Lee's Pond, Poncin-Hewitt and more have all see significant improvements working with the department heads. Often times the department head will come to me with an idea to make their department better. Other times I ask department heads to come up with plans to improve different aspects of the city. They come back to me with a plan and a funding request. I take that to the city council and the council decides. So far, we have been successfully in advocating for improvements throughout the city. I encourage people to visit the many parks. Some parks and fields have recently seen improvements, some improvements are underway, and other improvements are planned for 2022.
The city only has so much money to work with and spending is a reflection of priorities. One of the things I have prioritized is better equipment for DPW, the Recreation Department and Park & Forestry. When our city employees have the right tools, they can do the job right.
One of the projects I am actively working on is building a performing arts venue at Highland Park. The funding source is identified. Plans are being drafted by a group of performing arts volunteers.