Texas mayor resigns after telling residents without power to 'fend for themselves'
Sooner or later, people will learn social media ends careers.
Former Colorado City mayor Tim Boyd learned that lesson Tuesday when he started slamming his tough-guy fingers into his tough-guy keyboard and vomited a Facebook post full of tough-guyness.
As residents of Colorado City, a West Texas town of about 4,000 people located in between Midland and Abilene, that left some of the town without power for more than 24 hours, some gathered on a community Facebook page to ask questions about when power may be restored, while other asked how they could help their neighbors.
Boyd jumped on Facebook for another reason: to pound on his chest and ridicule those who couldn’t handle the conditions, telling the town’s residents, “Sink or swim it’s your choice!” and that people waiting for someone to come help them is because they’re “lazy” and is a “direct result of your raising!” He also rallied the city by warning “only the strong will survive and the weak will parish (sic).”
Boyd later deleted the message and posted another, saying he already had resigned and that he “would never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be left to fend for themselves. I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout.”
Video: Power outages, cold causing Texas pipes to burst
Boyd also said his wife lost her job after she tried to defend her husband’s message.
Below are Boyd's original message as well as his apology.
ORIGINAL FACEBOOK MESSAGE (since deleted):
Let me hurt some feelings while I have a minute!!
No one owes you are (sic) your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink or swim it’s your choice! The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING! I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout! If you don’t have electricity you step up and come up with a game plan to keep your family warm and safe. If you have no water you deal without and think outside of the box to survive and supply water to your family. If you are sitting at home in the cold because you have no power and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your (sic) lazy is direct result of your raising! Only the strong will survive and the weak will parish (sic). Folks God has given us the tools to support ourselves in times like this. This is sadly a product of socialist government where they feed people to believe that the FEW will work and others will become dependent for handouts. Am I sorry that you have been dealing without electricity and water; yes! But I’ll be damned if I’m going to provide for anyone that is capable of doing it themselves! We have lost sight of those in need and those that take advantage of the system and meshed them in to one group!! Bottom line quit crying and looking for a handout! Get off your ass and take care of your own family!
Bottom line – DONT (sic) A PART OF PROBLEM, BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION!!
APOLOGY
All, I have set back and watched all this escalating and have tried to keep my mouth shut! I won’t deny for one minute what I said in my post this morning. Believe me when I say that many of the things I said were taken out of context and some of which were said without putting much thought in to it. I would never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be left to fend for themselves. I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout. I apologize for the wording and some of the phrases that were used! I had already turned in my resignation and had not signed up to run for mayor again on the deadline that was February 12th! I spoke some of this out of the anger that the city and county was catching for situations which were out of their control. Please understand if I had it to do over again I would have just kept my words to myself and if I did say them I would have used better wording and been more descriptive.
The anger and harassment you have caused my wife and family is so undeserved....my wife was laid off of her job based off the association people gave to her and the business she worked for. She’s a very good person and was only defending me! But her to have to get fired from her job over things I said out of context is so horrible. I admit, there are things that are said all the time that I don’t agree with; but I would never harass you or your family to the point that they would lose there livelihood such as a form of income.
I ask that you each understand I never meant to speak for the city of Colorado City or Mitchell county! I was speaking as a citizen as I am NOT THE MAYOR anymore. I apologize for the wording and ask that you please not harass myself or my family anymore!
Threatening our lives with comments and messages is a horrible thing to have to wonder about. I won’t share any of those messages from those names as I feel they know who they are and hope after they see this they will retract the hateful things they have said!
Thank you
Tim Boyd (citizen)
