A look at Mayor Tommy Eschete’s career

Mayor Eschete was born in Houma, Louisiana, and moved to Thibodaux with his family at the age of ten. “Although I wasn’t technically born here, I have truly made Thibodaux my home,” Eschete said. He graduated from Nicholls State University in 1980 and soon began his career with the city as City Clerk (now called Council Administrator) in 1983. In this position, Eschete solidified his close working relationship with the City of Thibodaux through his service. 

In January 2008, Eschete left his position with the City Council to take a marketing position at a local engineering firm. However, shortly after, Eschete mentioned that he began to feel like he was missing public service– it was then that he decided to run for mayor, becoming elected to the position in October of 2010. At the time of the election, Eschete had already been serving the City of Thibodaux for almost 37 years, working under five different mayors during his tenure on the City Council. 

When asked what his biggest accomplishment was during his time as mayor, Eschete smiled fondly as he remembered his time serving. “When I was elected,” he began, “I told my staff that all that mattered was that we achieved two goals. First, that we always do the right thing. That is extremely important to me. Second, that we leave the city in better shape than we found it. I look back on my twelve years as mayor and truly believe that we were able to accomplish those goals.”

Mayor Eschete described his deep respect and admiration for the incoming mayor, Kevin Clement, and detailed his hope for a smooth transition. “One of the unique things about this mayoral transition is that there are absolutely no hard feelings here,” Mayor Eschete said. “I am leaving on my own terms– I did not lose an election. I am here to help Kevin in any way I can transition into his new role and am excited to see all that he will accomplish as Thibodaux’s next mayor.”

Mayor Eschete concluded the interview by discussing his excitement for retirement. “I am not the kind of person who will get bored,” He said. “I will always be able to find something to do.” Eschete is planning to continue doing consulting work from home in his free time, and is looking forward to having more time to golf and spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren after almost 50 years of service to his community.