Cynthia Bowers is both surprised and disappointed to have failed in her bid for the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
The outgoing Hastings District deputy mayor said she thought she would have carried enough of her support base across to the Regional Council "but clearly I haven't".
She said she left one council for the other because of her strong environmental beliefs but her conditional support of the Ruataniwha Dam may have been a factor in her defeat, as evidenced by new anti-dam faces on the council such as Paul Bailey.
She said she enjoyed her 21 years at Hastings District Council "but I'm not looking back, saying I wish I'd not made the decision to stand for Regional, because what is done is done".
"I'm about looking forward, not backwards."