Moon Griffon: Gov. Edwards’ Criticism of Lafayette Leadership “Outrageous”
A couple of days after Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory responded to Governor John Bel Edwards' criticism of Lafayette leadership following the Lafayette City Council's voting down of a local mask mandate, Guillory again expressed his frustration with Edwards as a guest on the Moon Griffon Show.
"I've always thought that you've worked with the Governor a lot," said a puzzled Griffon to Guillory as they began the interview. "For him to go back nationally and take a shot at Lafayette and its leadership was outrageous."
"As conservatives, we believe in the power of the people," answered Guillory. "We believe that you can't legislate your way out of this...Personal responsibility is the way that you get through this. You don't dictate through Baton Rouge or even Lafayette."
Guillory then went on to say how proud he is of the Council for its vote and said they stood for principle.
"We already have a mask mandate," exclaimed Griffon.
Then, Guillory addressed the fact that Edwards called out Lafayette's leadership on a national stage.
"The best way to promote your state is not by putting down one of your cities in your parishes," Guillory went on to say. "We have a disagreement of an opinion. We have one side of the country - and that side's in power in Baton Rouge right now - that wants the government to do everything. And there's another side of that coin. And that is we believe in the intelligence of our people. We believe in putting medical experts in front of our folks so that they can make decisions that are best for themselves, their families, and their community. And that's a difference in philosophy...The fact that we refuse to let government overreach needlessly in Lafayette has obviously offended some of the decisions made in Baton Rouge."
Later in the interview, Moon asked how long will a statewide mask mandate be in effect, to which Guillory answered, "The problem is control...it's submission."
Guillory left Moon's listeners by addressing the fiscal strain that the COVID pandemic has placed on local businesses and governments. He presented this idea before telling listeners that city and parish officials cut $29 million out of a $630 million budget in the city General Fund:
I have a feeling that the federal government is going to send a lot of money to states. So, Baton Rouge is going to have to make a decision - is Baton Rouge going to take that money and reward cities that have depleted their economy or are they going to reward cities that have made fiscal changes?...Are we going to be punished when that money comes in?
You can LISTEN to their complete interview by CLICKING BELOW. It begins at the 37:25 mark.