The real estate agent has been a Cromwell Community Board member since it was created in 1989 and a Central Otago district councillor for 21 of those years, until he decided not to run in 2013.
Mr Stewart narrowly missed a further term on the board in the weekend's election.
He was ''pretty relaxed'' about it, he said.
''I only really put my name in because I thought they wouldn't have enough. I was a bit offside during the last three years. There were at least four or five issues where I was not seeing it like everyone else for some reason.''
A major example was the landscaping work now under way on the Big Fruit Reserve, he said.
''It'll be a million dollars by the time it's finished. I've never seen a waste of money like that in my opinion. That is my big regret that I didn't do more to notify the public of what was going on.''
However, he was not opposed to spending and was ''very proud'' of the board buying land on the outskirts of Cromwell in the late 1990s.
''We turned it into million-dollar investments. That was a little bit of luck, but it was a lot of foresight, too.''
In his time in local politics Mr Stewart witnessed the responsibilities of community boards, such as libraries, swimming pools and water and sewage, gradually shift to the council.
He also observed Cromwell rebound after a population dip to about 2500 in 1995, following the completion of the Clyde Dam in 1992. He was ''very optimistic'' about the future of the area, he said.
''The growth at the moment is spectacular. But we're going too far too fast in my opinion. We've had some pretty significant rises.''
He initially ran for council while in ''a bit of a gap'' after selling his hardware business, which he operated for nine years.
He was approached by two Vincent county councillors who were concerned the rural voice would be lost on the council after amalgamation.
''I wasn't a farmer, but felt like a country boy. I thought I'd give it a go.
''Overall, I really enjoyed it. It fit in with my job and my lifestyle and I am very much interested in the village and watching it progress.''
