Former Providence Mayor and real estate mogul Joe Paolino has set his sights on purchasing a controversial statue. Paolino tells 12 News he’s attempting to preserve the capital city’s Christopher Columbus statue, which has been vandalized numerous times in recent years. “It turned my stomach to see red paint thrown on it,” he said. “It was a slap in the face.”

The statue was boarded up a few years ago after vandals threatened to tear it down. The city decided to put in storage a few days after the plywood box it was encased in was vandalized. Paolino has offered to not only buy the statue from the city for $50,000, but also pay for moving expenses.