Kuehne Campaign Puts Challenger Boulanger's Background into Question

City Councilman issued a new campaign mailer last week claiming that his challenger in the recall election is hiding key chapters of his past from voters.

The mailers, which were received by Hercules residents Friday, question ’s educational, professional and public service background. They also reference a website, WholeTruthAboutBoulanger.com, which accuses Boulanger of hiding the names of the colleges he attended and the name of the French city where Boulanger has said he served as councilman for 12 years.

In an email response to profile questions for Hercules Patch on May 27, Boulanger said he attended CNAM in Paris, France (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts) for three degrees, including a Master's of Business Administration.

Boulanger said did not want to reveal the French city where he served as a council member because he wanted to avoid associating himself with any French political parties. “I don’t give details about where or what political status I was at that time because it’s irrelevant. It’s about what you can do for your city,” Boulanger said.

For his part, in a phone call on Sunday, Kuehne declined to comment on the website. “We’re in the middle of a campaign,” he said.

The website, which does not list a funding source,  questions the two reelections Boulanger's candidate statement claims he won in France:

“Things just don't add up! According the French Embassy's web site; in France mayors, city council members, and the next "higher" offices for Department General Council, and regional councils all serve 6-year terms. If Boulanger was re-elected twice, that is a total of 18 years - not 12!”

Boulanger said by phone on Sunday that he meant to put “elected twice” instead of “reelected twice” on the statement. “That’s a mistake, and I apologize for that,” he said.

Boulanger said that questions about his political and educational past do not concern him as much as what the election mailers say about his professional experience.

The mailer also asserted that there are no public records showing that Boulanger is the CEO of an intellectual property company as he has previously claimed on public documents.

Boulanger said he would consider a public response to the accusations after talking to his lawyer.

“I’ve been directly attacked," he said. "I need some time to talk to the right people to understand what I can do."

*Correction: When this story first ran, it said the website in questions "points out a discrepancy between a Contra Costa Times editorial endorsement, which said Boulanger served as a councilman in Paris, and a candidate statement by Boulanger, which said he sat on a council in a French city of 85,000 residents. Boulanger said he did not tell the Contra Costa Times that he was a councilman in Paris." The CCTimes editorial said Boulanger served in a city "near" Paris, France, not in it.