In particular it opposed the $40 million wastewater treatment plant signed off by the previous council just before the 2016 election.
That plant proved to be a fait accompli, Bennett said. He still thinks it's overkill and that a $20m to $25m plant would have handled Whanganui's load.
He's heard the current plant is working well but dried pellets of solids have to be trucked to Bonny Glen Landfill for disposal.
Bennett said one thing he had been able to facilitate on council, through his Heads Rd contacts, was the settlement of some millions of unpaid sewage charges that were subject to debate.
The paperwork and process at council has been frustrating, Bennett said, but his fellow councillors have been good to work with.
He still doesn't agree Whanganui needs a $1m dog pound, and queries the ongoing expense of running a roofed velodrome.
The Whanganui Beyond voting bloc had not been enough to carry some issues, he said.
"To be successful you need seven votes and that's hard to round up. We've not even had all four of them sometimes."
There were some good things happening, he said, like Old Town renovation and seismic upgrades.
Plan changes will mean more people living in Springvale and St John's Hill, though giving effect to them is "terribly slow".
And he supports the work of Whanganui and Partners bringing new businesses to town.
"There's been lots of work and inquiry to move here," Bennett said.
Growth is not as fast as Bennett hoped, but he sees more on the way.
And with some Whanganui Beyond councillors standing again this year, the group could still be a force in this year's election.
"We are trying to get people to stand. There are good people in the community but not many people really want to do it," he said.
