Danbury Mayor Promises Response To John Oliver Offer

DANBURY, CT — Mayor Mark Boughton said he is reviewing comedian John Oliver's offer to donate $55,000 to Danbury-area charities in exchange for renaming the city sewage plant after him.

"We are working very hard on it," Boughton said during a Facebook livestream Monday night, promising a response to the offer in a few days.

"He has thrown down the gauntlet," Boughton told viewers. "Now, I have to do something to get these dollars."

The mayor, who described himself as a "one-take wonder," said the video will be released Thursday.

"John Oliver, I am coming for you. I am coming hard, so hard you will never know what happened," Boughton said. "And I will issue a challenge to you and you will have to meet that challenge or it's on like 'Donkey Kong.'"

The host of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" told his audience on Sunday night's show that he would donate $55,000 to Danbury-area charities, including $25,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, $25,000 to a Donors Choose fund for Danbury teachers and $5,000 to ALS Connecticut, if Boughton makes good on his joke about naming the city sewage plant "The John Oliver Memorial Sewage Plant." The comedian said he would even foot the bill to have the sign bearing his name made.

"I will happily do all of that if — and only if — your mayor makes good on his promise to officially name that sewage plant after me because I want this," Oliver said. "I need this."

The comedian gave the mayor a one-week deadline for a response, and entreated, "I beg of you: Don't Danbury this one up!"

The most recent dust-up between the Oliver and Boughton began two weeks ago when the HBO host swerved out of a segment on jury selection foibles in Connecticut to call out Danbury:

"If you are going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury because — and this is true — f--- Danbury. From its charming railway museum, to its historic hearthstone castle, Danbury, Connecticut, can eat my whole a--," Oliver said.

Boughton delivered a much-promoted payback that weekend in a Facebook video when he said he promised to rename the city sewage plant the "John Oliver Memorial Sewage Plant" because "it's full of s---."

Even the city's professional hockey team got some licks in at the comedian's expense, with the Hat Tricks' communications director Casey Bryant warning Oliver on YouTube, "We have a proud history of beating the tar out of people."

Oliver responded to Bryant's response in Sunday night's show as well:

In a later Facebook livestream, Boughton clarified that the plan to rename the plant was "just a joke," but Oliver is apparently not letting that go.

Danbury first made its way onto Oliver's radar back in 2017 when the comedian mocked the city's video trying to convince Amazon to build its second headquarters here as humorously similar to the those of other cities.