Rival candidate pays Duson caterer in crawfish boil fundraiser dispute

Amanda McElfresh | The Daily Advertiser

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An opposing candidate has paid what a local caterer said he was owed for a March crawfish boil fundraiser.

Steven Boulet, owner of Cajun Caviar Catering in Duson, said he boiled hundreds of pounds of crawfish for candidate Verone Thomas’ event at Girard Park. After offering a discount, Boulet said he felt he was owed about $739.

Thomas is running for Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District seat.

Boulet said he had trouble reaching Thomas after the event to receive the money. In March, Thomas told The Daily Advertiser that he thought Boulet was donating his time and services.

“We never agreed on any prices. I never got a bottom-line figure,” Thomas said in March. “They gave me no numbers, no figures, but after it was all over with, everybody is looking at me for a bill.”

Boulet said the situation went unresolved for months before he was contacted by candidate Rob Anderson, who is also running for the 3rd District.

Anderson ended up paying the balance.

“They didn’t ask for anything in return and made a point of emphasizing their lack of expectation,” Boulet said of Anderson and his campaign team. “There are political impasses between our perspectives, but the way Rob thinks and his integrity have won me over.”

Anderson’s campaign confirmed the payment was made in person last week.

“Rob has been a blue-collar worker for his entire life, so when he heard about Mr. Boulet’s unfortunate situation, he resolved to act,” said a spokesperson for Anderson’s campaign. “Firstly, it was the right thing to do. We should encourage young business owners by supporting them, not by refusing to pay for services. Secondly, Americans do not trust political figures, and why would they? Rob aspires to restore faith in America’s democratic institutions by leading from the front and by example.”

The Congressional election is in November.