Previous Hastings councillor Wayne Bradshaw is the surprise exit from the Hastings District Council Hastings-Havelock North ward.
Mr Bradshaw had served three terms on the council and was hoping to sit around the table for a fourth term after this election.
"I am disappointed but you take what you get, move on, and turn it in to a positive."
He said he and his wife have a lot of projects to do around the home, which he could now solely focus on.
"As a 58 year-old man no one will employ me so the projects we have going will provide me with new opportunities."