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Mills re-elected as Shelburne welcomes three new councillors

October 29, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Written By JOSHUA DRAKES

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills has secured another term, while residents have elected a new deputy mayor and five councillors following the 2026 municipal election.

The Town of Shelburne will be seeing a new council taking their seats very soon, as the election results have been published following the closing of polls on Oct. 26.

Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills has secured re-election, securing a strong 2,101 votes against his challenger, Pratheeb (PK) Uthayakumar, who secured 353 votes.

Mills expressed his gratitude to Shelburne for putting its trust in him for another term, and pledged to continue the momentum of his previous term. 

“I’m quite thankful that the voters of Shelburne decided to send us a strong mandate,” he said. “As I’ve said throughout my campaign, I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished together as a community, but there’s definitely a lot more work to be done, and I’m glad that the voters saw it that way, too.”

Mills continued, “My four priorities, broadly speaking, are managing future growth, continuing to invest in infrastructure projects, building a more connected community, as in finding ways to bring our community together, recognizing that growth is one thing, but bringing community together is another. Finally, my fourth priority is supporting a strong local economy.”

A new deputy mayor was also selected, following Shane Hall’s departure from the office. Former councillor Len Guchardi will be picking up the torch, with 1,477 votes total, compared to runner-up Andrea Knight with 686 and Mike Green with 283.

Guchardi said that he feels a mixture of emotions about his successful campaign, but his priorities haven’t changed, even if his office has.

“I’m feeling honoured, humbled, amazing,” he said. “This is a very big responsibility, and I want to thank everyone for having faith. My priorities haven’t changed. I want to continue pushing back against provincial oversight; I want to explore recreation in a way that’s financially sustainable. Of course, I’m going to be keeping up the volunteer work.” 

The positions of councillors received the biggest shakeup, with three newcomers elected alongside incumbents Lindsay Wegener, who received 1,586 votes, and Kyle Fegan, who received 1,442.

Wegener said that while she was nervous waiting for the results, she believed that her record of close examination and scrutiny of spending would speak for itself.

“I feel wonderful. I was a little worried, but I was hopeful that the community has paid attention to what I try to do and sees that I work hard for this community and for the town,” she said. “Recreation is still at my forefront. I ran initially to make sure we had more recreational options in town, and we are steadily moving towards that. We have to continue to pay attention to infrastructure as the town grows, and we have to make sure that the sewage treatment plant is completed.”

Fegan expressed some relief at the election being over, but is ready to get right back to work.

“To be truthful, it’s been a weight off my shoulders, and now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” he said. “Fiscal responsibility is still paramount for me. Taking a look at the budgets, we’re going to watch every penny that comes through.”

Alongside returning councillors, Shelburne will be seeing three new faces.

The first is newly elected councillor Alethia O’Hara-Stephenson with 1,397 votes, who said that she’s eager to get started.

“I’m excited. We did the hard work of knocking on doors, hearing from our residents, but now the real work begins,” she said. “I’ll be looking at economic development, to see how we can make some enhancements there to revitalize the downtown core.”

Also a newcomer to council, Brad Reid, who received 1,102 votes, said the election was a lot to take in, but he’s confident and ready to get started.

“It was exciting, if not a little trepidatious. I’m a small-town guy that’s never done this before, but I’m very excited to get to work with this council,” he said. “My priorities have not changed. I’d like to see increased activities and access for kids, and going hand in hand, a focus on health and wellness, bringing in healthier food locations and wellness resources. I’m also going to be looking into the revamp of our five facilities, and the $150,000 assessment of them, and making things as efficient as I can.”

Jim Bates also secured a councillor seat with 1,252 votes, and pledged to work with council for this next term to continue planning the future of Shelburne.

“I feel very happy about the results, and I’m looking forward to working with the other members of council and the community moving forward,” he said. “I’m looking to expand the trail system around town, looking at ways to enhance community safety, such as sidewalks, crosswalks. The big thing is listening and learning.”

The town reported that 2,546 residents cast ballots out of 8,407 eligible voters, representing a voter turnout of 30.3 per cent. Voting took place online and by telephone during the voting period, which ran from Oct. 16 through to the close of polls at 8 p.m. on Oct. 26.

The newly elected council will oversee municipal services, spending, infrastructure and growth-related decisions as Shelburne continues to develop.

Full official results are available on the Town of Shelburne’s website: shelburne.ca/news/posts/2026-municipal-election-results.

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