The mayor of a small western Texas town resigned after attacking constituents that were paralyzed by this week’s devastating cold snap.
Colorado city manager David Hoover told NBC News that Mayor Tim Boyd resigned on Tuesday, but the administrator declined further comment.
In a widely posted Facebook post that angered many, Boyd told city residents to stop complaining about the cold weather that left millions of people across Texas without power.
“No one owes you or your family anything; nor is it the responsibility of the local government to support you in difficult times like this! Sink or swim, the choice is yours!” Boyd wrote in the post on his Facebook page, which was later copied to the Mitchell County Issues community forum.
“The city and the county, along with the energy suppliers or any other service, owe you NOTHING! I’m sick of people looking for a handout!”
He continued to write that anyone complaining about the cold must be lazy and the product of bad manners.
“If you don’t have electricity, you get ready and create a game plan to keep your family warm and safe. If you don’t have water, you deal with it and think outside the box to survive and provide water for your family, “Boyd continued.” If you were sitting at home in the cold because you have no energy and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your laziness is a direct result of your creation. “
The city of Colorado is about 80 miles from Midland and has almost 3,900 residents.
Jody Beavers, administrator of the Mitchell County Issues page, said Boyd had good intentions, but should have taken a different approach.
“He’s a nice guy, I just think he was frustrated by the situation,” said Beavers, a 43-year-old oil field operator and longtime Colorado resident.
For several days, city dwellers asked the city to consider opening public buildings, if the power was on, so they could take advantage of the heat, according to Beavers.
“I think he got it wrong, he understood that they wanted him to buy them hotel rooms,” said Beavers, who recovered electricity at 3 am on Wednesday after 58 hours of darkness. “This is not what they wanted. They just wanted a place to keep warm.”
Boyd apparently deleted his Facebook page and was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.
Matteo Moschella and Donna Mendell contributed.