Sam enters the Political Arena

I’ve been so interested in politics that I’ve decided to get involved locally as a campaign adviser. The only person to engage my services was Cecil Thibadeaux, who is running for police jury comptroller over in Mamou. Cecil believes that his lengthy experience as a tow truck operator uniquely qualifies him for this public service post, since the jury occupies itself with, among other things, the many vehicles that drift into the wide ditches that line most Evangeline Parish roads. His ability to hold direct talks with the inebriated operators of these cars, trucks, SUVs, RVs and eighteen wheelers has, he believes, proven invaluable since, as Cecil puts it, “I speak their language.” He points to the incisiveness of his preparations in that role as another attractive quality for the post. “On Friday and Saturday nights I’m right there with those folks at the bars and dancehalls,” he says proudly, “and I can usually spot the ones who will end up in the ditch. They’re young, most of ‘em, and can’t handle their liquor like the older professionals.” Cecil keeps his tow truck parked prominently in the lot of whichever bar is doing the best business on those nights. “I mingle,” he says. “I let my presence be known. They all know me around here, and they trust me to pull ‘em out without charging an arm and a leg, inflate my price, so to speak – to not take advantage of them in their celebratory mood.”

Cecil’s personal life is exemplary. He is a devout Roman Catholic and a doting father of six children, all ten months apart. “It’s a style,” he says. I’ve never met his wife, Janine; she’s been on vacation for the last six months in North Carolina, where the family has made frequent trips to Cecil’s “shrine,” the Museum of Vehicle Recovery. “We just pile in the van and go,” says Cecil, “don’t take hardly nothing. We stop off in north Alabama and hit the Center for Lost Baggage, buy a few suitcases sight unseen, and make up a game with the kids. You should see them try to figure out what some of those things are for.” In his spare time, Cecil has an interesting and brisk ebay business.

Cecil Thibadeaux expects stiff competition come the election. He opposes two well-known candidates, Tricyc and Feedsack, two local citizens so well known that their nicknames alone put them out in front of the electorate. But, as he says, “If I have to issue a citation to anyone, at least I won’t have to ask offenders to fill out their own ticket.” Adding literacy to his already long list of qualifications makes him the obvious choice, he feels. I agree.

I began my advisory role by suggesting that he add some catchy music to his ten-second announcements that he’ll be putting on rotation at the local radio station, KBON. I recommended that he use the popular Balfa Brothers song, "Thibadeaux Thibadeaux pour Mamou."