Raymond Bardet, mayor of Haute Savoie village of Ville-la-Grande, says he made exception for son, but ‘it won’t happen again’ For mayor Raymond Bardet, a vehement opponent of same-sex marriage, the question pitted parental love against principle. However, when asked to officiate at the union of his son and another man a week ago, Bardet did not hesitate. “It seemed perfectly normal for me to carry out the marriage even though I still don’t agree with gay marriage,” Bardet, 72, told his local newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré. “When my son asked me if I’d do it, I immediately told him ‘yes’, because I did the same for his sister and because we get on well.