Alcoholic Mayor Faces Recall Election after 3-Day Bender

Can you be an alcoholic binge drinker and still manage the day-to-day functions of the mayor’s office? Voters in the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin will decide this question in a recall election against Mayor Bob Ryan, who is defending himself against the city’s first ever recall. Ryan claims his drinking problem never got in the way of performing his duties and he is reportedly sober now. Time will tell if Ryan’s arguments will be enough to keep him in office, as on January 17th, voters will head to the polls to decide if someone else should get a shot at the mayor’s seat.

We relayed over the summer that Mayor Ryan became a bit of an embarrassment to Sheboygan after he went on a three-day drinking binge. Ryan passed out in a bar and then got in a scuffle, and of course pictures circulated of Ryan slumped over at the tavern. It was also reported that Ryan had two previous public episodes of drunken and disorderly behavior. 

There are seven candidates vying for the mayor’s seat. Commenting on the recall, Ryan stated, “Do I think that my actions have hurt the city overall? No, I do not. Have they helped? No they haven't. The job I have done as mayor I believe has definitely done nothing but help the city. My personal issues, I wish would have remained personal, but they're out there, and I work on them every day.”

Despite receiving national attention, Ryan has refused all along to resign. He has pointed out that he never binged while on the job and admitted that his alcoholism is a problem and therefore has received treatment, but voters may be unwilling to look past his former transgressions and may also fear he’ll slip back into old habits. The Today Show even covered the recall, which you can see here:

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