Jim Florio Jr. is in the middle on most issues, and he doesn’t want to get critical as the race for the District 5 Town Council seat in Johnston approaches.
Florio, a resident of the district for the past 15 years, said he isn’t interested in political affiliations. The way he sees it, a person’s views change as they go throughout life, hopping over party lines as they go along. As an independent, he doesn’t like to worry about how he aligns on the political spectrum.
“I think where I sit, you just have to be a person,” Florio told the Sun Rise during a recent interview. “Especially during these trying times, being an independent, I don’t specifically agree or disagree with any of the parties. I think it’s really important to assess the situation and not take a stand from a party perspective. We’re all humans, and as we navigate these trying times I think it’s even more important just to have a voice from a human perspective.”
Florio said he doesn’t have any specific goals at the council level if he was to win this November. He said the town is in “good shape,” and he refused to criticize incumbent Bob Civetti’s performance on the board.
However, he used the sports analogy to illustrate why the council needs him. He said he aims to be a “voice of [the] community” and ensure the residents of District 5 get a “fresh set of eyes.”
“Even teams that win a championship, it’s so important for them to identify the opportunities for the next year to continue to get better, and that’s what I do in my personal life, that’s what I do in my professional life,” Florio said. “I think it’s really important to continue to find those opportunities, and we can always be better. There’s no criticism on anyone. I think our town has plenty of opportunities.”
Florio, who serves as the director of psychiatry operations and business development at Lifespan Adult Psychiatry, was able to offer a unique perspective of Rhode Island’s handling of the pandemic. He and the 120 psychiatrists and psychologists he oversees have been working to tackle the crisis head on, a process he called “near and dear to my heart.”
He said at a local level, he would have like to have seen the recreation center open a bit earlier, with strict personal protective equipment and social distancing guidelines in place, but said he remained “mindful” of the challenge.
“We had to convert to a telehealth platform at the onset of the pandemic, so that we can continue to strive to deliver the utmost care to people in need mentally. Having that mindset is obviously helpful as I answer this question,” Florio said. “I don’t want to be critical because you need to be in the weeds to really understand the operations before you can weigh in on it. I would be really cautious about getting in the weeds.”
Florio said that District 5 is different among the other sections of Johnston because of its “size and the way it’s laid out.” He said he walked the district during a previous run in 2010, and he found that plenty of the homes, from Greenville Avenue to Brown Avenue, are mostly spread apart.
“I could see how it has its challenges in terms of the community feel,” Florio said. “Although there are small neighborhoods within the district – I was out this past weekend getting signatures, and the neighborhoods off of Atwood Avenue and all the houses are really close together, and you can see where there’s a real neighborhood feel to it and the challenges that those other areas are not built that way.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here