Danbury City Council Votes to Rename Sewage Plant After John Oliver
At the tail end of a months-long, back-and-forth volley that rivals anything the U.S. Open has seen in the past few years, Danbury's City Council has overwhelmingly voted to rename the local sewage plant after Emmy Award-winning comedian John Oliver.
Just two days after the whole thing was met with resistance at Tuesday's (October 6) city council meeting, the Hat City's Mayor Mark Boughton took to social media to express his excitement over the fact that the plant that processes the waste from Danbury's 85,000+ people is officially going to be renamed, and all for a good cause.
If you happen to be a resident living under a rock for the past couple of months, or if you're simply new to the area, John Oliver, the host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, offered Danbury and its residents a "verbal thrashing" in the form of an on-air rant back in the middle of August following a bit in which the comedian pointed out a flaw in our country's jury selection process.
From there, it was "all bets off" for many of Danbury's dignitaries, business organizations, and public figures, who all were very quick to defend what has long been considered one of the country's best small cities across various metrics.
Immediately following Oliver's rant on HBO, Mayor Mark announced that because he felt as though the popular comedian was "full of s--t" in his remarks about the Hat City, that he was more than willing to rename the local sewage plant as the "John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant."
From there, John Oliver responded with the notion that if in fact the plant was renamed in his likeness, that he would donate $55,000 to various local charity organizations.
After that proclamation, the saga took the Greater Danbury area by storm, with everyone from the Danbury Hat Tricks professional hockey team, to the 8-year-old viral sensation Caio Ninja, to local politicians weighing in on the matter.
Now, with Thursday night's (October 8) city council special session in the books, it's been reported that the actual vote to rename the sewage plant included 18 votes in favor, one vote of no, and one vote of abstention.
With the saga coming to an end, the only question that remains is whether or not John Oliver will make an in-person appearance when the time comes for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony once the plant is actually renamed.
If you need to catch up, follow along with the following articles that break down the complete timeline of the Danbury/John Oliver saga:
- HBO's John Oliver Says 'F--k Danbury,' Offers a 'Thrashing' to Residents
- Danbury Boxing Promoter Issues Challenge to John Oliver
- Danbury's Hockey Team Sends Warning to Comedian John Oliver
- Danbury Mayor Responds to John Oliver's Angry Danbury Rant
- John Oliver Responds: 'Your Move Danbury'
- Danbury Mayor Seriously Considering Accepting John Oliver's Offer