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Mayor Evans addresses personal relationship, says legal and ethics reviews cleared him
Summary
Mayor Evans told the council he consulted legal and ethics advisers and that reviews found no illegal or unethical conduct in his personal relationship with a city employee; he said he removed himself from personnel compensation decisions and emphasized safeguards to avoid conflicts.
Mayor Evans addressed the council and members of the public to respond to questions about a personal relationship with a city employee following a January divorce.
Evans said he had sought guidance from the city attorney and from outside Louisiana municipal‑law experts, and the consistent conclusion was that his relationship was neither illegal nor unethical. He told the council he had recused himself from personnel compensation decisions — for example, he said he removed himself from decisions about employee cost‑of‑living adjustments — and described steps taken to prevent conflicts of interest.
The mayor said he filed for divorce in January and that the relationship with the employee developed afterward; he said the city had completed appropriate legal and ethical reviews and put safeguards in place. “The appropriate questions have been asked, the appropriate legal and ethical reviews have been conducted, and safeguards have been put into place to protect the interest of the city,” he said.
Evans framed the remarks as a matter of transparency and said his focus remains on serving the city and delivering results for residents. He concluded by thanking the council and those who attended the meeting.
