Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton On Reopening: “We Did Fine.”

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton made his regular appearance on the Ethan and Lou show this morning (5/21) and gave his thoughts on the gradual reopening of Danbury, particularly the restaurants that opened for outdoor dining yesterday.

"We did fine. I think it's tentative. People are dipping their tow in to the water," he told the guys. "There are a lot of steps you have to take and guidance you have to follow, so it can be somewhat frustrating, but we have all these mini-decks that are springing up on Main Street, out on Mill Plain, all over the place as these businesses are figuring out how to serve food to the people."

Bougthon said the city is working really hard to get everyone a permit that wants one and needs one to open. He said they have moved some regulations and given out 90-day permits to allow restaurants to open, and get them to a point where they can go back inside.

He acknowledged that the limited capacity does make it hard on restaurants, particularly staffing. "You've got employees collecting unemployment at a thousand dollars a week, and they could come back to work and work six tables and make maybe 500 dollars a week. That's an issue that they're trying to work their way through as well."

He expressed hope that barbers and salons will open as scheduled on June 1. "The entire state looks like a huge Chia Pet so we need to get everybody's hair cut, and i hope we can do that."

You can hear the entire interview embedded below, and listen for updates from Mayor Mark Tuesday and Thursday mornings on the Ethan and Lou show.