Lafayette Mayor-President completes 21-day rehab program

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — The mayor of a southwestern Louisiana city and parish is back after a 21-day stint from an in-person rehab program where he was getting treatment for alcohol addiction and post traumatic stress disorder.

The Lafayette City Council and Parish Council were notified Friday morning via email from City-Parish Attorney Greg Logan that Mayor-President Josh Guillory was back in town. Friday’s announcement comes 18 days after the initial statement about his plan to seek treatment was issued, news outlets reported.

The mayor-president, who has been in office since January 2020, served in the military in Iraq, where he “fought on the front lines in active combat.” In a news release, Guillory said he had turned to alcohol to relieve stress at the end of the day and that had begun to interfere with interpersonal relationships, particularly with his family.

Jamie Angelle, Guillory’s deputy chief of staff and spokesperson, said Guillory is scheduled to return to his office on Monday. Angelle said Guillory would address the public during a news conference sometime next week.

During his time in rehab, questions were raised about who would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Lafayette government. When Guillory left, the city said he would remain in authority over parish and city government. Through arrangements with the rehab facility, Guillory had access to a computer and internet service and was able to review and sign contracts, ordinances and other documents, the city said. Attorney General Jeff Landry was asked to weigh in on the matter but had not, as of yet, released an opinion.