Ledyard — It was a series of firsts Wednesday night for the Town Council.

It was the initial meeting of the governing body elected into office last month, and marked the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020 that the council met in person at Town Hall.

It was also the first meeting since 2005 that Republican Linda Davis wasn't a member of the council. She had been chairman of the council since 2012 and easily won reelection last month to a ninth two-year term, but since has resigned due to ongoing health issues.

The new council chairman, fellow Republican Kevin Dombrowski, read a proclamation during the Wednesday meeting honoring Davis "for her 40 years of service and dedication to the town of Ledyard," which earned her the nickname "Mother Ledyard."

Davis began her volunteer work for the town in 1981 as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission when she was involved with the construction of the town's Parks and Recreation and Board of Education Central Office building on Blonders Boulevard, as well as improvements to municipal parks, playgrounds and athletic facilities.

She later was elected to the Board of Education in 1985, serving as its chairman in 2003, before being elected to the Town Council two years later.

Council members said Davis has been a champion of increased transparency in local government operations by putting local meetings, budget documents and other important municipal information online. According to the proclamation, her experience as a local Realtor prompted her to propose an anti-blight ordinance for Ledyard, which later was approved by the council.

Davis also was cited for her work in making the town's beautification committee a success, as well as making the town's summer farmers market one of the most successful events in the area, with more than 1,000 visitors attending the Wednesday markets on the town green.

But perhaps Davis' first love has been the development of the town's food pantry, which relocated this year to the Red Barn on the lower town green and named in her honor last Saturday.

Fellow Town Council member William Saums said he would often see Davis at the pantry when it was located at the Ledyard Congregational Church. "I saw Linda's car there from day one," he said. "She was always there, reorganizing and restocking the shelves. She told me it was her 'happy place'. It was truly her home away from home."

Davis even achieved some national recognition early in her volunteer efforts for the town. Dombrowski said her involvement with a townwide spraying program when Ledyard was hard-hit by gypsy moths in the 1980s earned her an appearance on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. "It prompted Davis to jokingly say, 'Dan Rather comes to me for the news,'" Dombrowski said.

"What separates Ledyard from like towns is that there are innovations here," Republican Town Committee Chairman John Rodolico said. "Many of them have been big ideas, such as pension reform, (development of) Ledyard Center, and public-private development. These were ideas Linda had, and people picked up on them and ran with them. It's what makes our town what it is."

Republican Whit Irwin, who lost last month in his reelection bid for the Board of Education, was appointed by the Town Council to fill Davis' seat.

In other action, the council agreed to spend $55,000 in federal American Rescue Plan funds to build a new concrete floor in the Pole Barn on the lower town green, where the farmers market takes place.

"The current (dirt-gravel) surface can lead to liability issues," Saums said.

Thames Valley Council for Community Action will receive $15,000 of the town's ARP funds to assist the Meals on Wheels program.

The council now is meeting in a hybrid format, with the public able to either attend meetings in person or virtually.