Boughton makes first public appearance since collapsing

Boughton makes first public appearance since collapsing
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NewsTimes18 Mar. 05:26

DANBURY — The city's longtime mayor and gubernatorial candidate Mark Boughton made his first public appearance Saturday at a flag raising after he was hospitalized earlier in the week for dehydration.

Boughton was present for the raising of the Irish flag at Danbury City Hall on Saturday afternoon and even gave a brief speech. The mayor, currently serving his ninth consecutive term, said Friday he plans to rest on Sunday and return to work on Monday.

On Thursday, Boughton, 54, collapsed during a GOP meet-and-greet event in Avon in a room of roughly 200 people, including fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates. He was taken by ambulance to University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington.

Though witnesses described a dramatic scene Thursday night — some saying Boughton appeared to suffer a seizure — Boughton and hospital officials said he was treated for dehydration.

Boughton said he had skipped dinner Thursday night and that the room was “extremely hot.” He emphasized that his collapse was not related to his brain surgery last August in Pennsylvania.

“I talked with the surgical team in Pittsburgh and they said it had nothing to do with the brain tumor,” Boughton told Hearst Connecticut Media on Friday.

In Aug. 2017, Boughton underwent a surgery to remove a benign tumor from his brain. The tumor, behind his left ear, was causing the mayor to have headaches and experience dizzy spells.

The seven-hour surgery in August was successful, and Boughton returned to his political duties roughly two weeks later.

Boughton is in his third run for governor and said Friday that Thursday's incident will not slow him down — he'll just be drinking more water and cutting back on soda.