Boulanger Revamps Bio With Revised Descriptions of Professional, Political, College Experiences

In response to a series of questions from Hercules Patch, City Council candidate admitted Saturday that the biographical information he could be perceived as an embellishment.

Boulanger is the voters' sole choice Tuesday should they vote to recall incumbent Councilman .

Here is a summary of the new answers Boulanger gave Patch :

City Council and Planning Commission membership

He was not a member of a City Council or Planning Commission, as he had stated to Patch and the League of Women Voters. Instead, he said, he was involved with the voter-selected political party in his city that lobbied larger political entities for funding.

My main accomplishment was to be part of the political pressure to obtain funds from the European Economic commission to help extend a large automobile manufacturing factory (Citroen) located in our city limit. ... My intention was to tell the residents of Hercules that I am able to do the job because I feel I have already done it. Translation and transposition of politics is sometimes difficult. Maybe I should not have mentioned that part of my life at all.

 College Degrees

He said that he does not have college degrees in thermodynamics or in mechanics of fluids, nor does he have a master's in business administration, degrees he claimed to have in biographical information he provided to Patch and the League of Women Voters. 

He said Saturday that while working for Alstom, a French corporation focused on energy and transportation, he took courses in thermodynamics, mechanics of fluids and business.

The statement I made on my bio was done on my assumption that studying in college until the age of 24 represents the equivalent of a degree in the U.S. The Education system is very different in France. Now, do I have a degree? No. Did I receive an education similar to a degree in the U.S.? Yes. My intention was to explain the Hercules residents that I studied for some years after high school.

Role in Alstom's Contract with HMU

Patch asked Boulanger whether he played any role in assisting Alstom in submitting a proposal to provide equipment and/or services to the Hercules Municipal Utility. He did not address the question, saying only, "A potential connection with the HMU? That’s almost hilarious!  Did someone suggest my ultimate goal is to build a nuclear power plant instead of the Waterfront?"  

On Nov. 23, 2010, the Hercules City council approved a $98,817 contract to buy breakers for the HMU substation from Areva/Alstom, according to city records.

Business ownership

Boulanger also said that his previous statements that he owns a business in Hercules were incorrect.

Yes, my wife is the official owner of that business. I should have corrected that and I will soon.

Citizenship

Hercules Patch also asked Boulanger to confirm that he's a U.S. citizen and asked when and where he was naturalized. He said he is a citizen, but did not provide the additional details.

Other Questions, Comments

Patch also asked about Boulanger's work at Alstrom and Autodesk; a business, IPHV, of which he says he is the chief executive officer; his role working with the European Commission and PSA Peugeot Citroen; his role as a "Grand Electeur" for the French Senate; and his full legal name. .

Boulanger said in his response to Patch: 

I understand that my initial bio posted on my candidate website could have been interpreted as an embellishment since both translation and transposition of education and municipal services are difficult to import in the U.S., if not impossible. If I have created confusion, I am sorry about that.

Having said that, I wish the campaign had been about the issues Hercules is facing today. ...

He said he has updated the biographical information on his campaign website, which now reads, "So, here I am, a carpet cleaner with the only goal being to help clean up Hercules from the ground up."

Bob Porterfield contributed to this story.