NORTH SMITHFIELD – Resident Kevin Carriere has announced his intention to run for North Smithfield Town Council in the 2026 election.
Carriere is a college professor and a third-generation North Smithfielder, son of Richard and Louise Carriere, of North Smithfield, and grandson of the late Leo and Estelle Carriere of Carriere’s Furniture & Upholstery. He serves on the board of directors for the Greater Rhode Island Labor and Employer Relations Association and is vice president of the Ocean State Chess Association, where he has served as a community adviser for a senior project at North Smithfield High School.
“I am running for Town Council because I love this town, and I want to give back to the community that raised me,” said Carriere in a release. “When my wife and I had the opportunity to move back home, it was a no-brainer.”
But the challenges facing North Smithfield keep piling up, he said:
Delays in rebuilding Halliwell have caused the Halliwell Multi-Generational Building Committee to have to approve improving Scouters Hall instead.
The police station has been under discussion since 2014 and has resulted in “a rushed, poorly timed bond vote.”
“As I tell my students: Be proactive. Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help or start the project. It won’t turn out well,” he said.
Among the issues Carriere promises to highlight in his campaign are holding companies accountable for protecting the town’s air, trees, water, and sounds, supporting teachers and students as the town welcomes new families, addressing housing affordability so families can stay together in the town they love and not be priced out due to property taxes, and using technology to make understanding our town’s budget decisions transparent and accessible to all citizens.
“I want a Town Council that enforces our laws to protect our environment and ensure that no person or company is above the law,” he said. “I want a Town Council that listens to its citizens’ concerns and takes action to address them.”
He said he spent 2019-2020 working as a policy advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he met people from all walks of life with different political views.
“We didn’t always agree, but we didn’t fight, insult each other, or say nasty things in meetings or online,” he said. “We talked. We worked together. We respected each other. And we got things done. That’s the kind of council I want to be part of.”
Carriere holds a doctorate in political psychology and a master’s of public policy, and teaches social psychology and statistics at Stonehill College. He graduated from Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, then from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., before pursuing his graduate degrees at Georgetown University, where he was a lead organizer in establishing AFT Local 6440. He lives in North Smithfield with his wife, Robyn.
More information about Carriere and his campaign is available at www.KevinForNS.com.
