Candidate for Lafayette mayor-president disqualified by district judge

Lafayette Mayor-President candidate Priscilla Gonzalez was disqualified to run for office by 15th District Court Judge Valerie Gotch Garrett on Aug. 18.

Aimee Boyd Robinson, a Lafayette Parish resident, filed a petition Aug. 16 to object the candidacy of Gonzalez, accusing her of not living in Lafayette Parish for one year prior to qualifying, which is required to run for office.

According to the petition, up to the time of her qualification, Gonzalez has held a Texas drivers license and owned a vehicle still registered in Texas. Robinson also claims the Louisiana Department of Revenue informed her it had no record of Gonzalez ever filing tax returns in Louisiana. Robinson's petition said she found this information through a public records request.

Following the objection to her candidacy, Gonzalez filed a motion to dismiss the petition challenging her eligibility, citing a lack of evidence. Gonzales provided a lease agreement as evidence to support her qualifications for mayor-president.

"As Exhibit A demonstrates, I entered into a one-year lease agreement for a residence located at 504 Fox Run in Lafayette, Louisiana," the motion said. "The lease agreement, dated Feb. 3, 2021, clearly stipulates my occupancy for a period exceeding 12 months, thereby substantiating my status as a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, for over a year."

The motion requests that the lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice and without any future attempts at reassertion.

Gonzalez was ordered by the court to sit for a deposition on Friday, which resulted in her disqualification. A hearing was set for Monday. The disqualification leaves three Republican candidates, incumbent Josh Guillory, Jan Swift and Monique Blanco-Boulet in the race.

The election for mayor-president will be Oct. 14.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Qualification of Lafayette mayor-president candidate challenged