Breaux Bridge — The first Breaux Bridge City Council meeting of 2026 opened with an announcement from Chester Cedars, who declared his candidacy for mayor of the city in this fall’s election.
Cedars served as Assistant District Attorney for the 16th Judicial District from 1984 to 2016 and later as St. Martin Parish President from 2018 until 2024. He currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel for the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. Addressing the council, Cedars said he hopes to use his decades of experience to continue serving the community he has called home for 50 years.
Current mayor Ricky Calais has previously announced that he will not seek a fourth term. Calais was first elected mayor in 2014.
Cedars
The mayor presented the December financial report showing the city collected $610,507 in sales tax revenue — an increase of $28,184 compared to December 2024. Despite the gain, the city remains $384,994 below budget for the fiscal year.
Calais also informed the council that city engineers are updating cost estimates to submit to the state for proper allocation of economic development funding.
In other business, the council voted to accept the Armentine Cove Drainage Project as complete. The project is expected to alleviate long-standing drainage issues in the Armentine Cove Subdivision. Council members also approved the hiring of Christopher Lantier as a new patrol officer and elected Councilman Scotty Borel to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for 2026.
