The public feud between Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and comic John Oliver heated up again as the Danbury City Council voted to name a sewage treatment facility after the Danbury-bashing funnyman.
The council voted 18-1 with a single abstention to affix “John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant” to the facility. Although the new name is strictly ceremonial and not an official renaming of the location, Boughton took to social media to hail the development.
“Yup.. It’s official the Danbury Sewer Plant is now the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant. – You’re move John. Bam! #DanburyPride,” the mayor wrote online.
The council culminates a fracas that began with the Aug. 16 episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” when the British-born comic offered expletive-heavy rant against Danbury as part of a segment on problems with Connecticut”™s jury selection process. Boughton responded in a Facebook video by facetiously announcing Oliver”™s name is being attached to a sewage treatment facility, stating “We are going to rename it the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant,” the mayor said. “Why? Because it”™s full of crap just like you, John.”
Oliver answered Boughton with the promise of donating $55,000 to Danbury-area charities if the sewage plant was named for him, adding that he would pay for a sign bearing the “John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant” name. Boughton accepted the offer in a Facebook video this weekend, albeit with the caveat that Oliver attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renamed facility in person.
It is not certain if Oliver, a Manhattan resident, will attend any ceremony in Danbury. Oliver has yet to publicly respond to the council”™s vote.
HBO’s John Oliver disses Danbury, Mayor Boughton disses back
