Bryan Cadogan sits a little bleary-eyed at his mayoral desk, inside the Clutha District Council chambers.
It is 8am and, you get the impression, since his being elected third mayor of the district on October 9, Mr Cadogan has not had much sleep.
"The last few weeks have been like a stroke of light," he said, smiling.
Mr Cadogan won the mayoralty last month with 2445 votes, well clear of long-time incumbent Juno Hayes and deputy mayor Hamish Anderson.
It was Mr Cadogan's second attempt at the province's top job.
After becoming the district's youngest councillor in 1998, aged 39, he served on the Balclutha ward before challenging Mr Hayes in 2004 - and losing.
"It's a democratic process," he said.
"I never go into anything to lose. I learnt a lot, and I do think I was better prepared this time round."
Although Dunedin-born, Mr Cadogan has lived for most of his 51 years in South Otago, moving to Balclutha as an 18-month-old toddler when his father, who worked for Government Life Insurance, had the opportunity to take over the South Otago region.
After attending Balclutha Kindergarten and Rosebank Primary School, Mr Cadogan spent five years at South Otago High School and then left "with no direction", he said.
From the age of 18, Mr Cadogan's main job was shearing, but he went to Finegand freezing works as a boner in the off season.
He continued alternating between shearing and boning for the next 13 years.
He met wife Allyson in 1983 at a Government Life Insurance training course in Wellington, and they were married in 1984.
They have two children, Paula, an English teacher in Korea, and Sam, an apprentice builder in Dunedin, both in their 20s.
In 1991, the family bought a 1200-stock-unit farm 20 minutes out of Balclutha and Mr Cadogan left Finegands to go farming for about five years, then moving into selling real estate with Malcolm McElrea, which he did for another five years.
Selling the farm in 1998, the Cadogans bought an electrical goods retail outlet in Clyde St and Mr Cadogan stood for the Balclutha ward soon after.
"I went into politics in the first place because I wanted to make changes," he said.
"I can't remember the exact reasons, but they must be pretty similar to what they are now."
The "vast majority" of the community was faced with unavoidable costs which were rising at a far greater rate than their incomes, he said.
"I wanted to do something for the community, but now, as you know, I'm on a crusade."
It was "morally wrong" that unavoidable bills were putting undue pressure on people, and that was why so many young people were leaving the district, Mr Cadogan said.
He was preparing a paper to present to the council which would tie council spending to what was happening in the community.
"I realise now I'm going to have to grow into the role, and work on a few of my speeches. Some are good, some are disastrous."
So, how does it feel to be the mayor?
"I'm loving it."
