From the sidelines to City Hall: Mayor Kevin Clement’s passion for sports and service

Kevin Clement stands alone behind the line of scrimmage at a high school football matchup between Covenant Christian Academy and Jeanerette on Oct. 25. It is impossible to miss the smile on the back judge’s face as he runs down the field, chasing the action.

After 38 years on the field, Clement knows how to control the emotions of a game. He converses with the media on the sidelines and jokes with a friend, holding a glowing smile. He knows the struggles the teams, media and fans face during a game and uses his power as a referee to make the mood lighter for their enjoyment.

It comes as a surprise to some that the long-term referee is also the mayor of Thibodaux, one of the biggest cities in Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou.

Photo credit: Brogan Burns

Juggling it all

Running a city is a time-consuming job, something Clement knows all too well. Yet he devotes time to his second job as a referee. His job as mayor is the biggest priority, with refereeing coming in as a close second.

He uses his free time to look at film and study for games, but reserves only Friday night for refereeing, giving mayoral duties a rest for a few hours. Clement does not see himself as the mayor on the field but as an average guy calling a game.

“I don’t expect anything because I’m the mayor,” Clement said. “I’m a regular guy when I walk on the field. When I put the uniform on, I’m a referee, not the mayor.”

Although he tries to go unnoticed, people who know him will point out his status as the leader of Thibodaux. Thankfully, they leave it at that, Clement said, respecting his duty to call the game.

Just another reason

Clement has refereed solely for the love of the game for decades, but now, he has a new reason. He does it for his son-in-law, Jeremey Mumme.

Mumme is a high school football referee like his father-in-law, who sees a passion in him that rivals the passion that Clement had as a youngster joining the ranks of referees.

“I do it just because my son-in-law wants to get involved. So I’ve been on the field just to watch him and show him the ropes,” Clement said.

Mumme revels in the opportunity to learn from the experience of Clement and his officiating crew, giving thanks for the effort and opportunities that Clement has given him. Clement shares that same gratitude for mentoring Mumme. Clement said mentoring the next generation of officials, like Mumme, is the “most rewarding” part of being a referee.

Clement said Mumme being family makes it more special for him. “If I’m willing to put in the effort for a regular official, I’m certainly going to do it for my family,” Clement said. Clement said he hopes to look back in a few years and say he had a hand in molding Mumme into the great referee Clement knows he can become.

Photo credit: Brogan Burns

Different than the rest

Clement’s gleeful personality on the field is what Mumme notices most about the referee, something that most referees do not let shine. That personality is what Mumme and Clement said believe makes the mayor different from other referees.

Clement said he is out there for the enjoyment of the game, as are the team and fans, and makes it known. His philosophy in all aspects of life is to have more fun than the average person.

“My personality does shine through when I’m on that field,” Clement said. “I smile and laugh more than the average official, but maybe that’s what makes me so good.”

The realization that sometimes others need to see the lightheartedness in the heat of the game is part of what fuels his personality on game days.

Giving back

Clement’s large personality plays a large part in his passion for youth sports from high school football to the younger sports. Clement’s passion for sports started early. The mayor spent all of his free time as a kid playing ball, basketball and baseball being his favorites.

He always had a joy for sports even as a child, but he lacked a mentor, his wife Becky Fremin-Clement said. “He didn’t always have a mentor growing up when he played sports. So, he likes to be a mentor to those that need someone to believe in them, push them forward and make them believe in themselves,” Fremin-Clement said.

He funnels his desire to mentor children in sports into a coaching job at a basketball summer camp. Each year Clement volunteers as a coach at the String Music Basketball Camp in Summit, Mississippi in the final two weeks of July. Clement, along with other coaches, said the focus is teaching kids both the fundamentals of basketball and important life skills.

“They think they are there to play and learn about basketball, but basketball has nothing to do with what we teach. It’s all about discipline and structure,” Clement said. Clement added that many children he works with at the camp and at home come from a one-parent household, meaning they may be missing key pieces of guidance. He feels called to be their guide and “relishes” in the opportunity to guide them given his past.

That need to give back fuels everything he does from running a city to calling a game to mentoring the younger generations. He relies on that giving nature to guide himself through all of his jobs.

Good Intentions

The jobs of mayor and football referee seem dissimilar, but Clement takes the same approach in both professions. In the office, community or under stadium lights, Clement enforces rules and regulations. He does so with compassion, making the best decisions with the information he is given.

Making those decisions to the best of his ability is what he hangs his hat on at the end of the day. “You always make the right decision as you see it, with good intentions, and you can feel good at the end of the day,” Clement said.