CHABERT IN ALTERCATION WITH COLLEAGUE AFTER DEBATE
May 25, 2018
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May 25, 2018
In 1963, Assessor Max Rizan died in office, and Chief Deputy Hubert Robichaux was appointed “Acting Assessor” by recently elected Governor Bob Kennon. (Today the Chief Deputy would take over.) This came about because the “AH Parish” political faction, recently elected state Representatives Dick Guidry (by 17 Votes) and R. J. Soignet and Senator Clyde Caillouet had all supported Kennon.
No one from South Lafourche had ever held a full time job in the Court House so Representative Guidry obtained an agreement that for their support Robichaux would “consider” me for such a job I had played music and written political songs fix them in the 1963 election as I would in this one.
The 1963 election was as rough as 1962 and those two elections began the end of political Tickets” and factions” in Lafourche parish. The other faction, the “Old Regulars” entered a candidate and an independent jumped in The “All Parish Faction” were the Mowers of reform Governors Sam Jones 0940-1944) and Jimmy Davis, (19444948 and 1990-1964). The Old Regulars were affiliated with Huey and Earl Lang 0928-1940) (1948-1952) and (1666-1960). The election was on.
Hubert Robichaux won and the usual victory parade to Thi-bodaux was held. Dr. John Gravios, the South Lafourche leader of the “All Parish “faction made me parade Marshall, furnished me a convertible and I led the parade. I remember Dick Guidry yelling to the crowd “Be carerful everybody we don’t want any wrecks.” There was only one, Dick Guidry. He jumped into another car and the parade continued.
I was hired as Chief Deputy Assessor until 1983 whereby upon Mr. Robichaux’s retirement I was elected Assessor and served four terms, the last three unopposed I retired in 2000, and my son Assistant District Attorney Michael Martin was ejected and was serving his 4th term, the last three unopposed when he died from Diabetes I.
By the 1970s political parties and tickets were a thing of the past and although I came into politics with a faction. I soon Learned that no party has a priority on good people nor did he other party have priority cm only bad people.
I continued ray musical career on my free time and in 1953 began a five hour Saturday afternoon Cajun and country music program. The Leroy Martin Show” on KTIB which lasted over 30 years until my election as Assessor in 1984 when I ended my musical and radio career. I continued being MC for socialfunctions.
Mr. Robichaux put up with me when 1 often came in sleepy and blurry eyed from playing a dance or show, sometimes hundreds of mike away. One weekend we played Lake Charles and Crowley, LA. and I got back to Thibodaux at four in the morning and decided to sleep in the office. At five in the morning, I heard a noise and saw a flash light and heard ‘Police! Hands up!” The Thibodaux Police Department was doing their job, but it tock several phone calls to Hubert to straighten it out 1 went back to deep, woke up at seven and went back to work.
A story about “Tootsie” One day Hubert called me to his office and said. Toot ale (Mrs. Robichaux) is scheduled for a heart value operation in Houston next week. Can you drive us there?”
Open heart surgery was new and experimental but I found out that far Tootsie”, who I had grown to low like everybody else, there was no “plan B” or any other choice I answered *Yee” and prepared for the journey. She looked frail when she kissed her only child Beverly good bye and we left.
Dr. Benton Cooley, an associate of the famous heart surgeon Dr. DeBaker did the operation. She was recuperating we thought and when relatives came to visit we went to lunch but when we returned, she had passed away. “Her weak heart could not take the new blood flow the operation gave her,” we were told In other words, the operation was a success, but the patient died. Still in shock. Hubert asked me to call Beverly, one of the saddest moments of my life. BYE NOW!
In This week’s column, Historical columnist Leroy Martin tells us about some of his work in the political realm, while also recapping one of the most difficult things he had to do in his life.
