A town councillor running for the Conservative nomination in an Ontario riding that was already the source of controversy earlier this month says she was unfairly blocked from carrying the party banner because the top Tory brass wanted another candidate instead.

Rachel Gilliland, who sits as a member of Aurora, Ont.'s town council, told CBC News Wednesday she was denied the chance to run for the nomination in the Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill riding and was “given no reason for the denial.”

“I did ask for clarity and I didn’t get any. It seemed to me like there’s a candidate that has a little bit more favouritism from the party, let’s just say that,” she said in an interview. “There were quite a few things that didn’t seem kosher.”

“I’ve worked my butt off for almost a year and I made a lot of personal sacrifices. If the party was adamant about having a specific person win then by all means … but pick up the phone and tell me. They could’ve thrown me a bone,” she said.