Born in Hackensack on February 14, 1949, Paolella attended Bergen Catholic High School and graduated from Harvard University in 1971.
degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1976.
[1] In his first bid for the Legislature, Paolella and Republican running mate Louis F. Kosco defeated incumbent Democratic Assemblymen Robert Burns and Paul Contillo.
[2] After serving one term there, Paolella ran for the Senate in 1981 and defeated incumbent John Skevin.
In 2014, running on a Republican ticket with fellow Bergen County transplant Steve Lonegan, he ran for a seat on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders seeking to defeat long-time incumbent Freeholder Joseph H.