A ruling by the 16th Judicial District Court has determined  Ronald Bourque may remain on the Oct. 4 ballot as a candidate for the Jeanerette City Marshal’s position in the Ward III District.

The ruling made by  Judge Paul DeMahy on July 22 came in response to a complaint filed with the Iberia Parish Clerk of Court’s office by Heath Landry, a voter in the Ward III district.  

In the petition, Landry asked that Bourque’s name be removed from the qualified candidates because he  believed Bourque had only attended school through the eighth grade and did not have a high school diploma or a high school equivalence diploma.

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To qualify for the marshal's position, a candidate must be a resident of Ward III district and possess a high school diploma or equivalent as determined by the Board of Education and Secondary Education.

In a court hearing, DeMahy ruled on July 22 that Bourque met all qualifications to run in the upcoming election.

During court proceedings, Bourque presented a copy of his test scores from New Iberia Senior High and a copy of the GED Certificate from the Department of Education which he received on Feb. 22, 1979.

In another incident,  Bourque said he was also cleared of a complaint made against him  to the Security Manager of Cypress Bayou Casino over allegations that he was campaigning  while  on duty as an employee of the casino.

“I was cleared of that also by the manager. We have only a little over two months before the election.

 This will just make me work a little harder on meeting the people. This is my first election so I will be trying my best to get the word out,” he said.