A former military commander of Mayor President Josh Guillory who was hired in January as a new 'executive chief of staff' is no longer working at LCG, officials confirm.
Although they refused to provide any details, KATC has sent public records requests to LCG officials regarding the leaving of Mike Hicks.
Here's what LCG said in January:
"Hicks, a retired US Army Colonel and combat veteran, has joined Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) as Executive Chief of Staff to oversee and coordinate unprecedented infrastructure investments underway in Lafayette Parish. Appointed by Mayor-President Josh Guillory, Hicks’ achievements and leadership skills are an asset to LCG as it implements a historic program that focuses on an aggressive commitment to improve drainage, road, and bridge infrastructures."
Hicks' hiring was announced January 25, 2022. A few weeks later, in February 2022, LCG completed a drainage project in St. Martin Parish which now is the subject of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigation and a federal lawsuit. St. Martin Parish officials claim the project was done without proper permits, and the Corps issued a cease-and-desist letter to LCG while an investigation is launched. The Current recently reported that the way the contractor on the project was hired is being questioned.
KATC asked at the time about his compensation and job duties, and were told the following:
We were told that his salary and benefits total 280,224 for two years. For the current fiscal year, he was to be paid $92,223 for 10 months, since he started two months into the fiscal year.
His benefits package included more than $10,000 for health insurance and more than $28,000 for retirement/Medicare.
Regarding his job duties, we were provided this statement:
Executive Chief of Staff Mike Hicks
His US Army transferable skills, experience, and achievements are a testament to his qualifications for the position of Executive Chief of Staff, making him an invaluable member of the Lafayette Consolidated Government team.
He retired in September 2021, holding the rank of US Army Colonel, and served as Director of Deployment Readiness during his last years of active duty. In this position, he was responsible for the readiness of all Active Duty, National Guard, and Army Reserves as they prepared for deployment. He was a military leader with a career filled with challenging assignments. Serving as a Colonel, the highest senior officer just below Brigadier General, he was responsible for (among a multitude of other duties and responsibilities), crisis management, operations planning, programs management, emergency management, governmental processes, organizational leadership, and interagency coordination.
Mayor-President Guillory and Mike have had a longstanding relationship. Both serving in the US Army, Mike was the Mayor-President’s commanding officer. As his superior and recognizing Mike’s capabilities, the Mayor-President was confident Mike would be a valuable asset in moving Lafayette Parish forward.
This is a developing story; we'll update as we receive more information.
