Ledyard — The vice chairwoman of the Democratic Town Committee has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Town Council.

The council will vote on the nomination of Hilary Evans when it meets Wednesday. Evans would fill the slot vacated by Anthony Sabilia Jr., who left the council in late June because he was moving out of town for business reasons.

The nomination of Evans follows the rejection by the council on June 23 of candidate Nicole Cruz-Glacken. She had led a protest against councilors in April after one of them suggested alternatives to cultural competency training be offered. Cruz-Glacken claimed such a suggestion smacked of racism.

Democratic Town Committee chairman Marty Wood says while Cruz-Glacken was the party's first choice to fill the vacancy, Evans has more experience in town government. Wood noted she serves on the Ledyard Conservation Commission, which she currently chairs. She's also treasurer of the town's Housing Authority, where she was instrumental in getting grant money for the agency. She's also served on the Planning and Zoning Commission, and ran unsucessfully for Town Council in 2019.

"She has good name recognition," said Wood. "The main concern about Cruz-Glacken's nomination was she didn't have experience serving on local municipal committees." A Facebook message from the Town Committee said "Hillary's extensive municipal experience has given her the skills to work well on a bipartisan basis and develop well-balanced policy."

"The decision to nominate Hillary doesn't reflect in any way on Nicole (Cruz-Glacken)," the Facebook message continued. "Nicole continues to have the DTC's full support and confidence, and we look forward to her serving in other leadership capacities in the future."

Evans also serves on the board of Charity Challenge, a group that organizes events to raise money for local charities. Through her employment in the insurance industry, she is also a member of Bouvier Brigade, which raises money and does volunteer work for numerous causes, including suicide prevention and food insecurity. Evans holds a bachelor's degree in political science, with a concentration in legal studies.

"Evans is well-versed with many constituencies in the Ledyard community through her work with various town agencies and committees," said Wood.

The vote by the Town Council regarding Evans' nomination will come just two days after Ledyard's Republican and Democratic Town Committees meet to select a field of candidates for Town Council and Board of Education for this November's elections.