A spokesman for the Connecticut Democratic Party visited Danbury Tuesday to say Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton shouldn't be tweeting about Danbury High School's heat, he should be fixing the heat.
He compared Boughton's light hearted high school tweet to Marie Antoinette, who was famously misquoted as saying, "Let them eat cake," when told the peasants had no bread to eat.
"He isn't acting mayoral or gubernatorial," said James Hallinan, spokesman, with two people dressed as chickens, standing in front of City Hall. In addition to running for mayor in November, Boughton is considering a run for governor next year, and the state Democratic party noticed.
When he announced he formed an exploratory committee to consider the governor's race, the Democrats said he was an elitist out of touch with the working class. Boughton responded by saying he worked for 14 years as a high school teacher, and his parents and grandparents were all workers. About the Marie Antoinette reference, he observed she never said that, and he is always joking with students like they're joking with him.
On Monday, Boughton tweeted, "no heat before trick or treet," to students complaining about a cold classroom in the A wing. In fact, Boughton's estimate was pessimistic, said Public Works Director Antonio Iadiarola.
City workers removed two broken 14-month old pumps from the high school boilers, ordered new pumps, and figured out Monday night how to start the boilers without the pumps. The school had heat Tuesday.
Iadiarola isn't confident the temporary fix will hold, so workers are watching the boilers. The pumps, $6,000 each, were on their way from St. Louis Tuesday morning to New Jersey. Iadiarola said the broken pumps were so new, they're both under warrantee. "We won't spend a nickel."
Boughton has said for years people will always find something to criticize in his tweets, whether it's his fixation with zombies or with the Walking Dead television show.
"They should keep looking," Boughton said.
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