A year later he was appointed as alderman and became a member of the Bureel van Weldadigheid, of which he became president in 1841. When the burgomaster Van Crombrugghe died, de Kerchove was appointed by the king as the new burgomaster of Ghent, which he would stay until 1852.
In 1840, de Kerchove took on the role of alderman and joined the Bureel van Weldadigheid, rising to presidency in 1841. Upon the death of Burgomaster Van Crombrugghe, King appointed de Kerchove as Ghent's new burgomaster, a position he maintained until 1852.