John Beauregard

Tenure and Early Legislative Initiatives

John Beauregard was first elected to the North Smithfield Town Council in 2016. His early tenure was marked by a September 2018 resolution he introduced to prohibit the use of town funds for Nike products, following the brand’s partnership with Colin Kaepernick. Although the resolution initially passed, it drew significant national attention and faced overwhelming opposition during public comment at town meetings. Consequently, the Council voted unanimously to withdraw the measure two weeks later.

Electoral History and Interactions with Residents

After losing his seat in November 2018, Beauregard was re-elected in 2020, 2022, and 2024. His subsequent terms have been characterized by several documented conflicts with residents:

• Retaliation Allegations: In May 2022, a resident alleged before the Council that Beauregard used past law enforcement contacts to obtain his superior’s phone number to report him following online criticism. Beauregard did not deny the contact, stating he was within his rights to contact the resident’s commanding officer at the Air National Guard.

• Public Comments: Online, Beauregard told the same resident, “You are proof that even people with an extremely low IQ can join the Air Guard”. The Council did not launch an investigation into these interactions.

• Use of Council Time: In October 2022, Beauregard used official meeting time to read and criticize Facebook comments from a resident-run page, “Cliff Notes,” which had questioned his transparency. He later accused the resident of driving by his home, an allegation the resident denied and for which Beauregard provided no evidence.

Stance on Ethics, Transparency, and Oversight

Councilman Beauregard’s record reflects a consistent opposition to specific oversight and transparency measures:

• Code of Conduct: In 2025, he refused to sign a proposed Code of Conduct and opposed any version that included enforcement mechanisms for elected or appointed officials.

• Bidding and Grants: In June 2023, he opposed changing town ordinances to require a more transparent bidding process for contractors. Previously, in May 2023, he was noted for working with the Town Administrator to retain a grant writer without seeking approval from the full Town Council.

• Human Resources Reform: Following a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Town Administrator that alleged a pattern of discriminatory behavior and a lack of intervention by current staff, the Council moved to fund a professional HR Manager. Beauregard, supported by the Administrator involved in the litigation, opposed both the funding and the hiring of this position.

Approach to Business and Zoning Regulation

Councilman Beauregard has maintained that the town must do more to attract business through deregulation and the non-enforcement of certain zoning ordinances.

• Environmental Oversight: He opposed repealing changes to the Water Supply Protection Overlay District, a move intended to increase accountability regarding groundwater contamination.

• Zoning Violations: Regarding ongoing zoning violations by Material Sand and Stone, Beauregard proposed resolving the matter through mediation rather than direct enforcement.