Hardcastle takes Ward 4 seat from Houston in Tecumseh

Cheryl Hardcastle defeated incumbent Brian Houston to claim the Ward 4 council seat in Tecumseh. The result returns the former deputy mayor and federal member of parliament to local government after a period away from city politics.

Hardcastle cited a desire to apply her multi-level government experience to local issues as the primary motivation for her candidacy. She noted that while she has worked at every level of government, she wanted to focus specifically on the needs of her neighborhood and town without assuming she knew best. Her approach centers on collaboration and building relationships among council members and county officials.

She identified growth-related traffic and resident communication as the key challenges the council must address. Hardcastle specifically advocated for reinstating advisory committees that were previously eliminated. She proposed creating groups focused on heritage, arts, culture, and parks to provide structured feedback on local assets.

Voters in Tecumseh participated at a 47.4 percent rate during this municipal election. Hardcastle garnered 781 votes in the Ward 4 race, while Houston received 638. The margin of victory was 143 votes.

Hardcastle said she is eager to work with familiar names on county council and local mayors with whom she previously collaborated. She emphasized her intention to bring her past experience to the table to support the new council's work.