BALDWIN — When Baldwin Mayor Wayne Breaux first stepped into office, the Soviet Union was still going strong, Americans only knew of one President Bush and Bobby Hebert was taking snaps for the New Orleans Saints.

A lot has changed since Breaux first took the oath of office in January 1991.

“I never really thought I would be here this long,” Breaux said. “The whole thing has just surprised me.”

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Running for his sixth term in office in the November elections, Breaux will be unopposed for the third time in his career.

With the election, Breaux will celebrate his 20th year in office in 2011, one of only a handful of current executives to accomplish that feat.

“Hopefully (running unopposed) is a mandate by the residents to the job that I am doing,” he said. “I take it as a compliment.”

Breaux, 57, was an assistant city clerk and city clerk in Baldwin for 16 years before deciding to run for mayor.

He said that upon graduating from McNeese State University in the late 1970s with a degree in business, he returned home to help his father run the family store, Breaux’s Food Land in Baldwin.

It was there that he was approached by city officials, who asked if he was interested in writing federal program funding applications on behalf of the town. The rest, he said, is history.

“There is a lot of responsibility and a lot of sleepless nights that go into what needs to be done,” Breaux said. “As long as everything is going well, it’s only a matter of holding onto the wheel.”

Breaux has received high praise from those who know him, including St. Mary Parish District 1 Councilman Craig Mathews, whose parish district covers Baldwin.

Mathews said he always has been impressed with what Breaux has been able to do for the town over the years.

“I think that Mayor Breaux has provided an outstanding community service for the town of Baldwin,” Mathews said. “He has seen the town grow tremendously, enhanced economic opportunities there and been a model leader working with other parish offices.”

One of those economic opportunities Mathews mentioned was the opening of the new Baldwin Community Center on Louisiana 83, something in which Breaux takes great pride.

The $2 million building has a capacity of just under 600 people, with a large banquet room, smaller conference rooms and a full service kitchen capable of holding large functions or meetings.

The center is available to the public to rent out for any type of event, including weddings, bridal showers and high school graduations, allowing the town to collect rent to use for city finances.

“I guess with the limited resources we have, I’m most proud of being able to maintain the infrastructure and continue to provide excellent town services,” Breaux said.

With a sixth term in office and a service about to enter its third decade around the corner, Breaux said there are issues he would like to see accomplished, including helping the town continue to recover from the recent economic downturn.

“I would like to start a road overlay project,” he said.

“Some of our roads are starting to get into disrepair. There are also flooding issues and hurricane repairs that the town needs to make in order to move forward.”