Joel Robideaux (born October 5, 1962) is an American politician and accountant who served as the Mayor-President of

Lafayette Parish Lafayette Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat and largest city is Lafayett ...

from 2016 to 2020. He was previously a member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

, representing the 45th district from 2004 to 2016, and served as Speaker pro tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2012 to 2016.

Early life and education

Robideaux was born in

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the

University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a Public university, public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus Universi ...

Career

Robideaux began his career as an accountant. In 2004, he was elected to the

, where he served for twelve years. During his tenure, he was known for his work on fiscal policy and tax reform. In 2015, Robideaux ran for the position of Mayor-President of Lafayette Parish. He won the election and served from January 2016 to January 2020. As Mayor-President, he focused on economic development, infrastructure improvement, and public safety. One of his major achievements was managing the city's response to the 2016 flood. He also led the initiative for a $100 million replacement of the Heymann Center. Robideaux faced challenges, including controversies over police department pay raises and vetoing funding for the Louisiana Avenue extension.

Personal life

Robideaux is married to Bobette, and they have three children.

References

External links

Official website of Lafayette Consolidated Government
{{Authority control 1962 births Living people Mayors of places in Louisiana Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Louisiana Republicans People from Lafayette, Louisiana University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni 21st-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature