MAYOR-PRESIDENT GUILLORY ANSWERS LEADERS’ AND READERS’ QUESTIONS
This Saturday’s runoff election pits Josh Guillory against Monique Blanco Boulet for Lafayette Mayor-President. Both campaigns highlighted their candidate’s religious affiliations. Boulet’s website touted her as being “Pro-Life” and “Devout Catholic”. Guillory’s social media included photo ops at pro-life and church events.
Both campaigns received on October 23, 2023, twelve faith-based and social issue questions from leaders and readers in the local Christian community. Their answers were to be returned to Covenant Spotlight by or before November 3, 2023.
Guillory’s campaign requested an extension. Guillory returned his answers on November 7, 2023. Boulet’s campaign requested an extension by email on November 4, 2023. However, neither Boulet nor her campaign responded to emails on November 8, 2023, and November 11, 2024, offering additional time to provide the answers or an opportunity to explain why no answers would be provided. As such, only Guillory’s below responses had been received at time of publication on November 16, 2023. Voting polls open this Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
2023 LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT READERS’QUESTIONS
1.Louisiana state law currently prohibits abortions except for the life of the mother. Do you agree with this law? Brenda Desormeaux, Desormeaux Foundation
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: NO
GUILLORY’S REASONS: Legally, the issue of abortion is a state issue. Our state, through legislation, has primarily banned abortion. I support the ban on abortion. Life begins at conception. Because this truth exists, we, as a society, must choose whether we are going to protect innocent life or not. Exceptions to an abortion ban ultimately means that the government is saying that some other factor or person is more important than the unborn child’s life. While I recognize such a decision is incredibly difficult, I strongly believe that the government’s duty to protect innocent life outweighs in such an unfortunate situation. Ultimately, God’s will is the ultimate will. My faith means I trust in His will, no matter the circumstance, and I pray that He grants me peace and comfort in difficult and painful times. In my Christian views, “Pro-Life” means protecting the lives of unborn children. I cannot support murdering a child, no matter how difficult the circumstances might be. I have to lean on my Pro-Life belief, and pray that God grants me peace should it be His will that the mother should lose her life for the sake of her child. This position comes with an inherent duty to do everything within my power to advocate for and work to ensure that necessary resources are available to enable mothers to adequately care for themselves throughout pregnancy and the care of their child. This position also demands for advocacy for alternatives to abortion, such as adoptions.
2. If elected, will you oppose mandates or laws which attempt to restrict or limit religious services or worship at churches in Lafayette? Pastor Matt Palmer, First Baptist Church of Milton
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: Actions speak louder than words. In 2020, I stood up to the Governor and bureaucrats in Baton Rouge, and I opposed mandates to restrict or limit religious services or worship at churches in Lafayette. I will again do all within my power to prevent the state and federal government from overstepping should this issue arise again in the future.
3. If elected, will you actively oppose and take steps to prevent Drag Queen Story Time from occurring in Lafayette City Parish facilities? Pastor Brandon Nealy, Christ Church
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: If a man wants to dress up like a woman in his own home, the law protects that right. If a woman wants to dress up like a man in her own home, she too has that right. If a person dressing in clothing traditionally suited for the opposite sex in front of consenting adults (emphasis) in the privacy of their home, they have that right under our laws. Freedom prevents our government from banning such private activity in one’s private home, an environment absent of public funds or minor children. That said, public funding and the involvement of minor children changes the circumstances. Most adults understand this. Our community, and communities across our great country, have a compelling interest to prevent sexual indoctrination of our most vulnerable population – minor children. One’s rights under the law end when those rights begin to infringe on the freedoms of others, in this case the child’s freedom to peacefully and naturally progress in development regarding sexual orientation and questions relating to gender.
I oppose the use of taxpayer dollars in pushing sexual agendas. I believe in protecting young, impressionable children from programming that is intended to confuse and distort their natural innocence.
4. If elected, will you oppose the use of public resources to celebrate Pride month including continuing to use tax paid LUS employees to install and uninstall gay pride pennants on Jefferson Street city light posts? Robert Voitier
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: The process of installing and uninstalling pennants/flags by LUS was initiated well before I took office. However, this process needs to be changed. I will work with the Councils to change this process.
5. Do you believe that the Lafayette Public Schools should not instruct students on sexual orientation or gender identity? Augustine Ortiz
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: Life is confusing enough for our young people without political activists forcing them to “decide” their sexual orientation or gender identity. Discussions involving sexual orientation or questions about one’s gender are best had between children and their parents, members of the clergy, and medical professionals—not the government nor in a radical school district acting in bad faith, furthering a leftist movement to prey on the natural innocence of our youth. Classrooms should be utilized to teach necessary skill sets (reading, writing, arithmetic, etc.) not to serve as left-wing, liberal laboratories of indoctrination.
6.If elected, will you commit to making Lafayette City Police Department the best trained, equipped and highest paid police force with stable leadership in the state? Tim Reynolds
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: I have and always will support law enforcement. Again, actions speak louder than words. In 2020, when other cities across our country were taking extreme positions of defunding the police, I led the charge in giving our police officers a pay raise and increased funding for the resources they need. When violent protesters stormed our city and parish, I stood with the Police Department, our Sheriff, and other agencies and met them in the streets and sent them away. We have a beautiful and safe community. Under my administration, we will remain that way.
I have worked hard since taking office to improve the Lafayette Police Department. We’ve given our officers pay raises every year since 2020. We’ve increased the investments in training and equipment. We’ve worked to revamp patrols of our parks by moving from the Park Police, which consisted of seven officers covering more than 30 parks from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm with no arresting authority, to adjusting our LPD patrols to provide 24/7 security presence with the capability to react immediately to emergency situations.
Our Police Chief has done a remarkable job over the last year leading our force. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure that our Police Department remains the best in the state.
7. If elected, will you support the formation of an independent citizen’s review board to investigate excessive force complaints against Lafayette City police officers? Editor
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: I believe that there are sufficient systems in place currently to investigate excessive force complaints. My administration brought back the Law Enforcement Community Relations Committee, a collaboration between the Lafayette Police Department, Lafayette City Marshal’s Office, and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Department. This committee actively engages the community and gets officers acquainted with the communities they patrol. The group also provides insight and guidance to law enforcement leadership on any matter of issues.
8. If elected, will you oppose a City or Parish proclamation declaring June to be Pride month? J. Fatheree
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: I have never signed a “pride month” proclamation since taking office. Politicizing this type of proclamation does no good for our community. It only divides it further.
9. If elected, will you support paying any final judgments against the City-Parish? John Paul Charbonnet
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: Every case is unique and there is a process through our legal and risk management departments that falls outside the Mayor-President’s Office. In the past, every frivolous lawsuit judgement was typically paid, leading to millions of tax dollars being spent on litigation costs that could have been spent on priorities of the community as a whole, such as drainage, roads, public safety, and quality of life measures. In the last four years, the legal department has fought hard to cut down costs, to include defending frivolous lawsuits through trial. The claims against Lafayette Consolidated Government are down by half. That includes the legal fees to defend those frivolous lawsuits. As a result, we have established a much different legal climate in Lafayette that doesn’t breed lawsuits. What we are doing is working. Further, I am committed to supporting the judicial process and doing all I can to ensure LCG pays just judgements.
10. If elected, will you appoint persons to the Lafayette Parish Library Board who support policy restrictions on minor’s access to sexually explicit materials? Corey Grimley
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: NOT APPLICABLE
GUILLORY’S REASONS: The Mayor-President does not have any appointments to the Library Board. However, I will clarify my position: I do not support minors having open access to sexually explicit materials in our Public Libraries.
11. As to neighborhood safety, will your administration increase the police presence from current levels in Lafayette’s highest crime and under resourced neighborhoods? Nelson Warner
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: My administration has increased patrols throughout the city, added 20 new patrol officer positions, and increased funding for equipment and training. We also added a new precinct to the Downtown area which needed increased police presence and will help relieve some of the burden off of other precincts.
We will continue working to fill open positions within the department, and we continue to adjust patrol operations as needed.
12. If elected, will you proclaim June to be “Month of the Sacred Heart”? Tim Maragos
BOULET: NO RESPONSE
GUILLORY: YES
GUILLORY’S REASONS: I am absolutely open to proclaiming June as “Month of the Sacred Heart.”