Voters have chosen Melissa Coates to sit as trustee on the School District 27 board of education for the remainder of the 2022-2026 term.
Byelection results were announced on June 7, 2025, with Coates garnering a total of 45 votes to represent trustee Zone 4, which falls in the Cariboo Regional District's Area F and parts of Area D.
"I am thrilled and deeply honoured to have been elected as a trustee for School District 27," Coates said in a message to simplymastery. "I feel truly blessed to be given this opportunity to serve our students, families and schools."
Neal Matoga and Connor Ikoma were also vying for the role, Matoga collecting 17 votes and Ikoma collecting six.
The board of education has been waiting for a seventh trustee to join its ranks since November 2024 following former trustee and board chair Ciel Patenaude's resignation.
A byelection to fill the role was first held in February 2025 but was cancelled due to miss-scheduling and a failure to acquire a list of voters, leading to the election being unable to lawfully proceed.
"Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and for the incredible outpouring of support online - your encouragement means the world to me," Coates said. "I'm ready to work hard, listen closely and help make real change where it's needed most."
The board's next regular public meeting will be held on June 23, after which there will be a two month summer hiatus before the board returns for public meetings in September 2025.
