C.C. Stewart leaves longtime P&Z post

PATTERSON -- After nearly three decades, C.C. Stewart is stepping down from the Patterson Planning and Zoning Commission.

Steward is a fixture in the city government, so much so that Mayor Rodney Grogan reported this reaction: "When he told me, I had to take a deep breath."

The Patterson City Council accepted his resignation at Tuesday's meeting.

"It was sometimes hard," Stewart told the council. "Somtimes it was easy. But we had to make decisions for the betterment of Patterson."

Stewart's years on the commission included four terms as chairman. Some of the decisions he made cost him some friends, he said. But "I was doing the job I took the oath to do."

Stewart said he felt it was time to step aside for some young blood, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find. But Stewart had a replacement in mind: his son, Eric Stewart.

The council voted unanimously to put Eric Stewart on the commission.