It was a fateful Wednesday two years ago when she decided to run for political office for the first time in her life, but Delcambre Mayor Pam Blakely said that with the love and support of people like her husband, she’s happy to help out the city that helped raise her.

Blakely, a hairdresser for the past 38 years and owner of Pam’s Hair Hut, never went to college but did get an education when she attended beauty school with her best friend.

Her journey to become mayor of her hometown was something she never expected, but it’s one she’d never give back.

How did you end up in politics because going from being a hairdresser to the Mayor of Delcambre is different, don’t you think?

You’re going to laugh, but I’ve been in Delcambre all my life, and everybody talks about everything. You know, they gossip, and they complain about this and we complain about that but you know, no one wants to move forward. And when I asked a few people to run they all didn’t want to do it. But you don’t do it for the money, you do it for the love of your town. We’re born here and we love our town and we love our community and so I said we need to do something to move forward. And when I was asked to run, I said, ‘OK,’ and I did.

What do you love most about being Mayor of your hometown?

My favorite part is being involved with the community and try to move our community forward. Everybody wants to do the right thing. We need to do what’s right and make things right. There are laws and we need to follow the laws and the rules.

What would you say is the most difficult part of being a mayor?

The most difficult part is telling people you have to clean up your yard. Everybody wants to complain they don’t want to have their name out but you don’t want to have problems with your neighbors. And my thing is we want to help people, we don’t want to hurt anybody, we want to help. Help clean up, help make things better. It’s a slow process because you take two steps forward and one step back but it’s getting better.

What does the city of Delcambre mean to you, seeing how you grew up there and you still live there to this day personally?

It means everything, it’s our life. You know when you’re born there, you’re raised there, you know I’m here, my business is here, my community, my school, my church, my children, my grandchildren. It’s everything to me.

For you, what do you want your lasting legacy to be, as not only Mayor but as a resident of Delcambre?

I have a big heart, and I would do anything I can for anybody. And you have to always remember, God said to help the poor and the needy. If you have God in your life, everything else falls into place.