Lafayette Mayor-President Requests Restraining Order Against Opponent Over ‘Corruption’ Claims

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - Mayor-President Josh Guillory has filed for a temporary restraining order against one of his opponents, requesting she stop referring to him and his administration as "corrupt."

Monique Blanco-Boulet, who is running against the incumbent Guillory, has been "falsely accusing her political opponent, Mayor- President Joshua S. Guillory, of the crime of corruption in paid commercials, social media posts, ‘and other public statements," according to the filing.

Get our free mobile app

In one of the referenced instances, Boulet accused the Guillory administration of " corruption, dishonesty, and using public office for personal gain."

In a statement to KATC, the Boulet campaign responded to the filing by accusing Guillory of "trying to silence others from talking about it."

Josh Guillory cannot defend his record of failure and corruption, so he is trying to silence others from talking about it. I will not back down from speaking the truth, standing up to this bully, and fighting to bring honesty and transparency to Lafayette Parish,” Blanco Boulet said in response to the merciless restraining order sought against her by scandal-ridden Guillory.

Guillory's filing claims the use of the term "corruption" is defamatory, and points to Louisiana election codes forbidding false and defamatory statements about a candidate.

The Louisiana Criminal Code defines corrupt influencing as “the giving or offering to give anything of apparent present or prospective value to, or the accepting or offering to accept anything of apparent present or prospective value by, any person. with the intention that the recipient shall corruptly influence the conduct of [any person who has been elected or appointedtopublic office] in relation to such person's position, employment or duty.”

It is absolutely false that Guillory has committed the crime of corruption.

Monique's false criminal accusation is defamatory per se. As such, it is presumed that Monique knew, or should have known, that her statement was false.

The filing is the latest drama in an increasingly toughening race. Guillory recently pushed back against a questionable poll reported by multiple media outlets showing him to be vulnerable in the October 14 contest.

Guillory is running for his second term as Mayor-President. Blanco Boulet is one of two Republican challengers, with the other being Jan Swift. Guillory's filing, however, also points out that Blanco Boulet changed her voter registration from Democrat to Republican prior to announcing her run.

She is the daughter of former Democratic governor Kathleen Blanco, and previously stated on a local podcast that she believes it is impossible to win a race in Lafayette as a Democrat.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.