Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a five-term Republican incumbent who made national headlines for his stance against illegal immigration, will announce he is running for governor Feb. 1, a source close to the mayor said this morning.
Invitations to the mayor’s announcement — 6 p.m. at the Stony Hill Inn in Bethel — are being mailed today (Wednesday, Jan. 27).
Boughton wouldn’t confirm the announcement Wednesday — but certainly sounded like a candidate.
“I can neither confirm nor deny the report,” Boughton said.
The mayor was scheduled to appear Wednesday night at a meeting of Naugatuck Republicans.
“I’ve been visiting the town committees and listening to their concerns, speaking to town committee leaders about potential delegate support if I decide to run,” Boughton said.
The Hat City Blog reported Jan. 21 that Boughton purchased the domain name BoughtonForCT.com.
Boughton’s Background
Boughton, 45, was elected mayor in November 2001. Prior to that he served in the state legislature, representing the 138th District.
He graduated Danbury High School in 1982 and was a teacher at the school. He has a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s degree from Western Connecticut State University.
Name Recognition?
Boughton joins an ever-growing Republican field, which includes Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and Tom Foley, former ambassador to Ireland. R. Nelson “Oz” Griebel is expected to announce Thursday.
The Republican nomination race is up in the air, with 59 percent of Republicans in the state undecided, according to a Jan. 21 poll by Quinnipiac University.
The poll showed Foley would receive 17 percent of the vote, Fedele would receive 8 percent, while Boughton would receive 6 percent.
Boughton said the fact that the poll shows him close in name recognition with Fedele bodes well for a campaign.
“I’m very pleased by our showing. I haven’t really done any real campaigning yet,” Boughton said. “I don’t have a committee, I haven’t announced whether I’m running, so I think it’s a good starting point. What’s more interesting about that poll is that 60 percent of the Republican voters are undecided. That’s a huge number, and puts the whole thing up for up grabs.”
Chris Healy, chairman of the state Republicans, said he hadn’t talked directly to Boughton about his candidacy, but assumed a formal declaration is coming Feb. 1 considering Boughton’s maneuvering.
Is there a chance Boughton will announce Feb. 1 that he’s not running?
“I doubt he would do that, knowing him. Then again, I haven’t really discussed it with him at any length. I just know he’s a great mayor and he was an excellent legislator,” Healy said. “He’s a forward thinker. He fits the profile of a very strong, independent Republican.”
Popular In Danbury
Boughton is popular in Danbury, earning easily re-elections in a city where registered Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
Taxes are relatively stable in Danbury, crime is the lowest of all cities in Connecticut — and the city’s economy has been able to carve out a niche as an area for biotech firms and health care-related businesses.
Boughton has remained accessible in Danbury,where, in addition to town forums, he conducts frequent “Saturdays with the Mayor” events, where residents are invited into his office to speak their mind. Topics could range from economic development to complaints about a neighbor’s fence.
The mayor’s populist views extends to his accounts on Facebook and Twitter, where his posts range from links to his blog about city issues to his opinion on the “American Idol” finalists.
Courting Controversy
Boughton is best known for his vocal stance against illegal immigration.
Boughton and his fellow elected officials found themselves in the national spotlight in 2005, when Time magazine published a story on the city’s efforts to regulate volleyball games in Danbury.
Residents in Danbury complained to the city about large scale backyard volleyball matches — events organized by the city’s Ecuadoran population.
The games, Danbury officials and residents complained, were highly organized, with tickets being sold for admission. The city responded by contemplating a “repetitive outdoor group activities” law, which would have allowed the city to issue warning or levy fines against offenders.
Local Hispanic and civil rights advocates complained, saying the city was blowing the issue out of proportion.
The volleyball issue — coupled with a controversial 2005 request by Boughton to Gov. M. Jodi Rell to deputize troopers as immigration agents — kicked off some four years of tension between City Hall and Danbury’s immigrant population.
Boughton appeared several times on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, where he complained that illegal immigrants were burdening Danbury’s schools, hospital and social services.
The city’s immigrant population responded with large, “unity marches” on Main Street in the city’s downtown.
In January 2008, under Boughton’s leadership, authorized the city’s police chief to sign an agreement with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so that city police could receive immigration enforcement training. The night of the vote attracted several thousand protesters outside City Hall.
He was re-elected mayor in November with nearly 66 percent of the vote in Danbury.
Boughton didn’t expect his past stance in illegal immigration to have a negative effect on his campaign.
“The number one issue, whether I’m a candidate or not, is the economy and jobs,” Boughton said. “All issues in the state and the country have been superseded by the economy. That is at the front of everyone’s minds.”
