In a prepared statement, the mayor said he’d noticed a growing dependency on alcohol after working hours to deal with stress and decided to voluntarily check himself into inpatient rehab for 21 days to help him overcome “what I believe was becoming an addiction to alcohol and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The mayor is an Army combat veteran who served as a platoon leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, according to the report.
When asked who’ll carry out Mr. Guillory’s duties while he’s away, the Lafayette Consolidated Government told KATC3, “[T]he mayor-president is equipped with a computer with secure Wi-Fi access to the Lafayette Consolidated Government’s network,” and he was available to perform his mayoral functions remotely.
But his plan doesn’t align with the Lafayette-Parish Charter, which states that a member of the council steps in if the acting mayor is absent for more than 48 hours, according to the station.
In a statement addressing this conflict, the parish and city councils said they wish Mr. Guillory well and plan to review the applicable guidelines of the charter to ensure proper governing protocols are used while he is away.