Tony Migues has announced his candidacy to become New Iberia’s city marshal.

Migues, a New Iberia native and resident, is the son of Haywood and Mary Alice Migues. His uncle Ted Migues, who Migues said has been an inspiration to him, served Iberia Parish and the state of Louisiana for more than 30 years.

Migues said he has a pride for his community that is generational. He resides in and raised his family in the same home in which he, his two brothers and three sisters were raised.

Migues is a retired U.S. Army officer with 24 years of active duty service. He served as an infantry company commander during Operation Desert Storm. Migues also served as the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the City of New Iberia for 10 years. For the past four years, Migues has worked as an investigator at the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General and as a sheriff’s deputy with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. Migues is a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified officer of the law.

Migues has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Regents University and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Migues is married to Peggy Portier Migues. The couple has three children — Michael Migues, Jacques Migues and Faith Migues — and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren. Migues said he is a loyal public servant who has devoted his life to serving others.

“I want to first and foremost thank Vic Delcambre and his family for four decades of service, Vic is a legend and I do not mean in any way to diminish him or his many achievements as City Marshal,” Migues said.

“But, I do believe there are many ways that improvements can be implemented in the Marshal’s Office which will build on the strong foundation left by Mr. Vic. It is my intention to bolster Vic’s legacy and to continue the service oriented approach he will always be remembered for.

“The next city marshal needs to transform the office so that it can reach its full potential and do so all in a fiscally responsible way.

“As we all are aware the city again has its own police department. So it is my plan is to work with the mayor and chief of police as well as the newly elected sheriff to aid and assist them with issues within the city limits.”

Migues said he believes that it’s time to give the residents of New Iberia a Marshal’s office that belongs to the people, one that they can actively be a stakeholder in.

“To me that means an office that proactively seeks ways to better our community,” he said. “There are so many things that the City Marshal can do to make our community a safer place, that just are not being done right now.

“My goal is to work hand and hand with the community, as well as with the city court to bring the marshal’s office into the 21st century.”

Migues spent 24 years on active military duty. For his service he received the Meritorious Service medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Army Accomodation Medal. He also was named the top recruiter in the country in 1986. He retired from the military in 1999 with the rank of major. In 2001 he returned to the military to serve for one year as the executive officer for 256th Brigade’ rear detachment as they were deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

For 10 years as Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the city of New Iberia, Migues said he was able to do many great things for the community. The mayor’s after school program, which he organized and directed under Mayor Hilda Curry’s administration, was given statewide recognition for its positive impact on inner city youth, he said, and its success in generating the revenue needed to run the program from private sources. Migues said the program was used as a model to launch others like it across the state.

“As your next City Marshal my goal will be to focus on our children, to educate them and to work to keep them off of our streets and to keep them in our schools,” Migues said.

Migues is a graduate of the U.S. Command and Staff College. He also served on the 911 commission for six years and is a past president of SNAP (Safety Net for Abused Persons). Migues said he has committed his life to serving others and he remains committed and added that he is ready to work tirelessly to do his part to improve our great community.