A vacationing City-Parish Councilman Kevin Naquin is getting slammed by angry calls and emails over the gay flag controversy with which he has nothing to do.
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Councilman Kevin Naquin just wants to play some golf, y'all!
"What's the coincidence of my first time running for office and another Naquin gets on [the council]?" a nonplussed Kevin Naquin wonders by cell phone.
The popular Cajun musician/medical supply salesman/councilman just wants to play some golf and hang with the fam, but a controversy back at home involving a rainbow flag and an angry old homophobe - and the unfortunate fact that he shares a last name with the councilman who ignited the fracas - have introduced a decidedly non-vacation theme into his summer getaway.
"I'm on vacation in Gulf Shores - I'm getting pounded by calls and emails," Naquin says, referring to the dozens of people who have contacted him regarding fellow Councilman Andy Naquin telling The Daily Advertiser he is seeking a legal opinion over whether Lafayette Consolidated Government can ban non-government flags from city-owned flagpoles. The latter Naquin's request was made at the behest of Lafayette resident Ray Green, whose testosterone was unjustly diluted by the misfortune of seeing a photo in the daily of a rainbow-colored "gay" flag flying at Girard Park.
Kevin Naquin says he's been letting the phone calls go directly to voicemail - most are from non-337 area codes - and has stopped listening to them, deleting them instead. He has replied to some of the emails. "I'm like look, First of all I'm on vacation, and No. 2, it's not my judgement. I could care less,'" he says.
"I'm going to run for re-election and people will be like, You're the one that wants to ban gay flags!' Oh, Lord have mercy! It's crazy!" he adds, imagining the gay flag flap following him. (For the record, we don't think the councilman was announcing his plan to seek re-election.)
The emails and phone calls prompted the vacationing Naquin to ask council clerk Veronica Williams to issue a press release reminding the community to reserve its ire (or praise) for the other Naquin, which she dutifully did around noon Wednesday.
Unfortunately, Kevin Naquin represents council District 1 - Andy Naquin reps 6 - so anyone who logs onto the LCG website to find out who to direct their vitriol at will see Kevin Naquin first. "There's the bastard! Let's get him!"
The councilman from District 1, meanwhile, doesn't see what all the fuss is about: "Look at the end of the day I was raised one way and religion-wise I believe in that, but you know what, I'm not the one that judges people - God does that. That's not in my vocabulary to judge people," he says. "I mean, look, let's talk about what Lafayette needs: roads, bridges, we need money for police and fire; let's talk about stuff that's important. This other stuff, you know, I'm not one to judge other people. If that's who you are, that's who you are. I got a gay cousin in the family - love her to death."