[1] He ran in the Maine Republican Party's primary for governor in 2010, finishing 5th of 7 candidates behind eventual general election winner Paul LePage.
As conservation commissioner, Beardsley sought to reform the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, a body established in 1971 that serves "as the planning and zoning authority for areas that do not have the capacity to administer land use controls (principally, townships and plantations ).
Governor LePage appointed a series of Deputy Commissioners while continuing to assert Beardsley was de facto "in charge" of the Department despite Democratic legislators' opposition to his confirmation and limits in the length of "acting" capacity.
[5] Controversy about Beardsley's service included questions about his knowledge of sexual abuse perpetrated by Rev.
from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.