Yvette Baxter Sworn Into City Council

The newest civic official in the City of Merritt has now taken her position at the council table.

Yvette Baxter, was sworn in by Provincial Court Judge Greg Koturbash on Tuesday May 7 in council chambers in front of family, friends, Mayor Mike Goetz and the rest of council in attendance.

Baxter, was elected in a byelection on April 20th to fill seat left vacant following the death of Claire Newman who was killed July 5 2023, outside of Valemount.

“I could use lots of narrative to describe my feelings since election but the two that stand out are excited and humbling,” Baxter said before the meeting.

Born and raised in Merritt, Baxter garnered the most votes (229) during the recent municipal byelection while Peter Coghill (75), Norma Jean Littleton (30) and MJ Phillips (26) rounded out the official ballot count.

“We (City Council) have a lot of work to do and I’m eager to get started,” she said. “This is an effective council and I’m very honored to have been elected by the citizens as a voice for their concerns.”

The new councilor noted that while on the campaign trail she heard from many citizens concerned with a variety of topics with two issues taking center stage.

“There are a lot of key issues that everyone had opinions on but the two that I kept hearing time and time again was flooding issues and what  was the city going to do
when it comes to keeping business in Merritt.” Baxter added. “These concerns are my concerns as well as I am prepared to work hard to address these in the future.”

More to come…

-SPECIAL TO THE NEWS