The longest running Mayor of Henderson, Sherbin Collette, wins his sixth term. And he credits his wife Louella Collette for his longevity in office.
"Without the backing you get you're nothing,” Collette said. “And she was my backbone for the past 55 years.”
But for his wife, her husband’s political journey was not expected.
“He always hated it and he still does I'm sure,” Mrs. Collette said.
“I know he doesn't mind being the mayor because he loves what he does and he does it to serve the people, but he doesn't like the politics part."
Even after 20 years, it’s still hard for Mrs. Collette to be away from her husband all day.
The two met when they were tenth graders, Collette attending Cecilia High School and Mrs. Collette attending Breaux Bridge High School.
"It's been a pretty wild ride,” Mrs. Collette said.
“We were commercial fishermen and we used to spend a lot of time together we were in a boat everyday. And I miss that because we don't talk as much. We don't have enough, you know, that much time in the day anymore with him being here you know just about all day long."
Before Collette became mayor, he spent his time with his wife as a commercial fisherman alongside his wife for nearly 45 years.
"Every morning at 4:30 a.m. getting up, going to Bell River, going crawfishing an hour and a half away,” Collette said. “Every day, every day, every day."
The two stopped fishing after dealing with health issues. Collette said earlier this year, he thought he would lose the love of his life.
"She just got out of the hospital, open heart surgery for the third time,” Collette said. “And the second day she caught a stroke and a seizure and from my understanding what the nurses said she had passed.”
Even now with his wife still by his side six terms later, Collette said this term the people of Henderson will continue to be his top priority.
Throughout his twenty years Collette has prioritized infrastructure such as drainage, sewage, and roads through grants.
Mrs. Collette appreciates the dedication the town has to her husband, and her husband’s affinity for the Town of Henderson.
"It's great to know that they appreciate you know things that he does and that's his goal is to help people,” Mrs. Collette said.
“And really he has done a lot for the town and its great to know that they still care.”
Collette said their next big project which is currently in the works is having municipal sewage for businesses.
