The decades-long reign of Robert Segura as New Iberia’s city judge essentially ended Tuesday as judge-elect Trey Haik was sworn into office in a public ceremony at City Hall.

In a speech, Haik credited the three support beams he has for his marathon-running with helping make his inaugural political campaign a success: faith, family and friends.

“And here we are today,” he said, poignantly summarizing their effectiveness. “I said many times in the election process this is not a solo mission, but a team effort. I had an awesome team.”

In particular, an emotional Haik gave credit to his late grandparents.

“I felt their presence on a regular basis as I travelled around the community and met people who recalled my grandparents,” he told the crowd of around 100.

Haik was sworn in by his uncle, U.S. District Judge Richard Haik, who bestowed the gavel Trey Haik’s grandfather gifted him when he was first sworn in as a judge in the 1980s.

Richard Haik brought up his and other members of the lawyer family’s temptation to respond to public criticisms, particularly by that of New Iberia City Council Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis, that the family had made millions of public dollars representing government bodies and boards.

“When I talked to Trey about responding, he said ‘Uncle Dickie, a judge must remain above the fray,’ ” Richard Haik said. “What I told him yesterday was he reminds me of his grandfather. That’s exactly what he would have done.”

Trey Haik’s brother, lawyer Eric Haik, served as emcee for the ceremony (he joked Lewis was actually the Haiks’ first choice) and called his sibling a “man of integrity” who was an “unbeatable candidate.” He admitted he would miss having an office next to his brother.

“I think the people of New Iberia saw the Trey Haik I looked up to for so many years,” he said.

Trey Haik said in an interview following the ceremony he learned from the mandatory New Judges Conference in New Orleans “when you move into a house, don’t knock down any walls for a year” and that he planned on following that advice as he settled into the new job.

“It makes sense to me,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to put my own stamp on city court.”

Longtime New Iberia City Marshal Vic Delcambre, first elected in 1979, was also sworn into his new term Tuesday but delivered a decidedly more low-key speech.

“This is Trey’s show,” he said. “I’m just along for the ride.”