METHUEN — While it has only been about a year since Mayor D.J. Beauregard, 36, entered office, and nine months since he was formally elected, he has faced an array of challenges including school cleanliness issues, a difficult budget season in part due to unpredictable state aid and lately litigation between the city and school.
“Its hard to believe it’s been almost a year,” said Beauregard. “It’s been a very interesting, action-packed going-on-nine official months.”
The youngest mayor in the city’s history is running for reelection this fall and promises to continue to be an “agent of change” while also following in the footsteps of the late Mayor Neil Perry, whom he counts as a mentor. He is being challenged this fall by former cosmetics executive Barbara Stoebel.
His office is sparsely decorated with the exception of artwork from students at the public schools and his own children.
He outlined what he said were his successes so far, which included efforts to cut down on the cost of living for Methuen residents. He discussed balancing the budget without increasing taxes or significantly cutting services. He is also proud of his efforts to cut energy costs through a community power program while also launching a textile recycling program.
He has also promised more community discussions including bringing back a live show where he would answer questions from constituents
“The key is follow through,” Beauregard said.
Families in Methuen largely just want to have safe neighborhoods, strong schools, stable finances and “a city government that works,” he said.
The last few months of city politics have been largely dominated by discussions of the school budget, which has continued to increase due to factors largely out of the city’s control, according to officials.
However, Beauregard said the city has historically underfunded the district with its local contribution. At the same time he said there is also room for cutting inefficiencies in the schools. He has pushed for an integration of city and school information technology departments, which has led to litigation by school administrators against the city.
He said teachers are also struggling to feel valued by their government.
“We are already seeing this effort at the federal level to undermine the broader education system and when you see that at the federal level it’s up to us at the local level to say ‘wait a second’,” said Beauregard. “With the resources that are in our care we are going to do everything that we can to preserve education.”
Along with budget issues, Beauregard and school officials have also scrambled this year to deal with long simmering maintenance issues in the district’s aging buildings. He said the biggest task at the moment is carpet replacements, which is further complicated by a requirement for asbestos abatement in older buildings.
Beauregard said it would be an expensive and slow effort in the schools, which would need to be funded over multiple years. He added he has spent a lot of time in the schools with health inspectors.
“Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but I think what I expect and what I think what most people expect is continuous improvement big and small,” said Beauregard.
He said a lot of the issues in the district come from a cultural problem, where complaints have gone unheard for so long that some employees are left disheartened.
“We have people who are likely banging that drum, so to speak, for such an extended period of time at what point do you throw up your hands if nothing is getting done,” he said.
As soon as a teacher puts in a complaint the issue needs to be investigated and tackled.
Beauregard said he has also pushed for financial transparency, even when it makes people uncomfortable. This has included publishing payroll reports for employees as well as launching a fiscal transparency website.
“Why would we not have that public,” he said.
Another topic in the city is development, particularly in the city’s center.
He said he dreams of replicating the “downtown Amesbury vibe” in Methuen.
“I want it to be a place where people can gather,” he said.
He also wants to bring back a concert series that has been performed in the area in the past and bring in food trucks for more events.
“I romanticize the idea of having downtown Methuen be a place where you can visit a book store, grab a beer at a craft brewery,” he said. “Meet up with friends at a coffee shop.”
He added he would like to utilize Riverwalk Park more, too.
Before he was elected mayor last year, Beauregard had served on the city council for nearly five years, with his final term ending early after he was called upon to serve as acting mayor. His work experience includes roughly six years as the director of strategic innovations at the Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School.
Beauregard’s relationship with the mayoral office in Methuen began when he was in high school when he interned with former Mayor Bill Manzi.
“That was a really interesting opportunity to see how local government works internally, but at the same time I was a student in high school,” said Beauregard. “That fueled my interest in participating in local government.”
But he said local government is not always valued by everyone and has been left behind by many, to a degree, in favor of federal politics.
“We have such a loud, divisive national political environment and that seems to be what everybody is always interested in,” he said.
He pointed to the low turnout in local elections even when it follows high levels of turnout in national elections.
“That blows my mind,” said Beauregard.
He said while he is “horrified,” for example, by federal cuts to public broadcasting, he wishes the passion for national politics could be replicated in the city, too.
“At the local level when you vote, the people you are electing are making decisions about your schools, about your roads, about whether the trash is picked up. About all of these issues that impact people on a daily basis,” he explained.
He added that his 6-year-old will be entering the public school system this fall.
“As a dad, as a homeowner, as somebody who grew up here I am in a unique position where I can help influence the direction of our city in a positive way,” said Beauregard.
Mayors in Methuen serve two-year terms with a limit of three consecutive terms.