Amherstburg Town Council has approved an extended leave of absence for Mayor Aldo DiCarlo as he recovers from an undisclosed illness.
Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche will not say what ails DiCarlo, but told BlackburnNews.com approval from the councillors was necessary.
"With the current bylaw, he can be out for three months, but any extension to that would have to be approved by council," said Meloche. "Since there won't be another meeting before his time would be up, it was voted on. It was just felt he needed a little more time."
He said DiCarlo is on the mend, but may not be back on the job until after the next council meeting in the middle of July.
In the meantime, Meloche admitted it is strange not having the mayor around.
"Him not there makes it a little different, but the business of the town is moving along as planned, and there's been no hiccups. Everybody's doing their part," he said. "It's just added a little bit of work to my schedule."
And he said the absence has not been easy on DiCarlo.
"Sitting around, not being able to do anything, has been tough for him," said Meloche who spent some time with DiCarlo last week. "He's done a lot of reading, trying to occupy his time and get better."