By John Schwing

WESTPORT — A former Board of Finance member has been endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee to fill an open seat on the panel.

Allyson Stollenwerck, who was a finance board member from 2005-11, was formally recommended Monday by the committee to fill the finance seat left vacant by the resignation of Brian Stern last month.

Stern, a Democrat who had served on the board since 2009, resigned abruptly last month with 21 months remaining in his current term, citing what he called a change “for the worse” in Westport’s “collegial management and governance culture.”

Stollenwerck’s name will now be referred to the Board of Finance, where the remaining six members make the final decision on who fills the open seat.

The Democrats’ nominee, who was the finance board’s vice chair from 2009-11, is now chair of the Democratic Women of Westport. Stollenwerck also was a member of the town’s Board of Assessment Appeals from 2003-05.

She is a former securities lawyer, and for the past 15 years, worked at a global nonprofit with the mission to reduce poverty in the developing world, according to the town committee’s announcement.

Michelle Mechanic, chair of the Democratic Town Committee, in an email to the Westport Journal, said Stollenwerck “is an outstanding public servant and professional, and the DTC is both thrilled and honored to recommend her for this vacancy.”