Politics & Government

As Danbury Battles Coronavirus, Its Mayor Slays In Social Media

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton relies heavily on social media to get the word out about the coronavirus crisis. Is it enough?

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Mayor Mark Boughton is Danbury's longest serving chief executive, now working his 10th consecutive term, and social media has been more than an integral part of his communications and public relations strategy throughout.
Mayor Mark Boughton is Danbury's longest serving chief executive, now working his 10th consecutive term, and social media has been more than an integral part of his communications and public relations strategy throughout. (Mayor Mark Boughton Twitter)

DANBURY, CT — On a day when "Oprah" trended at the top of Twitter for over eight hours because of a rumor she was involved in a sex trafficking scandal (she wasn't), and the Twitterverse came to an amused standstill wondering if actor Seth Rogen was stoned while live-tweeting "Cats" (he was), at least one person was using the micro-blogging platform for The Good of Mankind.

Mayor Mark Boughton is Danbury's longest serving chief executive, now working his 10th consecutive term, and social media has been more than an integral part of his communications and public relations strategy throughout. But never have those online tactics been tested as they are now in the midst of the new coronavirus outbreak.

"A lot of people are homebound and are on the borderline of becoming frustrated, so we're trying to give as much information as we can," Boughton told Patch. He maintains a very active Facebook page, and occasionally posts to Instagram as well. He says he has been on SnapChat ("for young people") for a couple of years, but still hasn't figured out how to leverage it as much he'd like.

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But Twitter. Twitter, Boughton plays like a Stradivarius.

In the Age of Coronavirus, Boughton says the pace of inquiries he is called upon to field on Twitter has amped up quite a bit. The queries "run the whole spectrum, questions about how you get tested, 'I've lost my paycheck,' 'the business I work for has closed down,' 'what do I do about financial assistance,' all kinds of things like that," he said.

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Most effectively, Boughton has used Twitter to snuff out the sparks of rumors before they become full-fledged firestorms.

"People tend to put up stuff that is completely untrue," Boughton said. "But they're smart enough to at least ask, or tag me on their posts."

"Whether there are rumors about Danbury Hospital, or kids being sick at this school or that school — it's really good to be able to dispel those in real time," Boughton said.

The power and pervasiveness of Twitter is a double-edged sword, naturally. The same online battleground that lets Boughton nip some crazy notion in the bud is the fertile soil for the next bit of scary nonsense.

"There's no question that social media is a megaphone that reaches tens upon tens of thousands of people," Boughton said. "It's not just your next door neighbor reading what you've written, it's the entire city, or the entire state."

Although Twitter is the mayor's social media weapon of choice, he says the best way to stay informed about the coronavirus crisis in Danbury is through his Facebook page. Boughton says he posts updates there as soon as he gets them.

Asked whether he had any social media gurus or clerical help assisting him with his Twitter feed, Boughton scoffed proudly "It's all me, all the time!"

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