Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton had a seizure Thursday evening during an Avon Republican Town Committee event.
Boughton, who had brain surgery last summer, was one of more than 20 Republican candidates seeking various offices at the event, which was described as a fun, social night to enjoy food and drink and meet the candidates. He was given CPR by Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, who is also running for governor and is a doctor.
According to Srinivasan, Boughton had a seizure and was actively seizing when he ran to help. He said he got someone to hold Boughton’s head so that his tongue didn’t block his airway and he started doing chest compressions. After the chest compressions, Srinivasan said, the color started to return to Boughton and his pulse came back.
“He was practically blue, but his pulse came back pretty strong,” Srinivasan said, adding that Boughton regained consciousness and was conscious when EMTs arrived.
Boughton is a “lucky man,” Srinivasan added.
Boughton’s campaign staff said the mayor resting comfortably at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.
Srinivasan was on his way to UConn Health Center to check on Boughton when we spoke with him by phone.
Srinivasan said each of the candidates were given three minutes to speak and then they were separated in order to mingle and talk to some of the 150 or so RTC members in attendance. Srinivasan said he was in an intense conversation about pension reform when his wife told him to run. Srinivasan said he didn’t know what was happening at first, and just ran.
Srinivasan said were no indications that anything was wrong before Boughton, a nine-term mayor, collapsed, nor did he appear to be in distress during his three-minute speech.
At least 10 of the 11 Republicans vying for the gubernatorial nomination attended Thursday’s event, which was held at The North House in Avon. There were another 10 Republican candidates running for various offices also in attendance.
Boughton, who ran for governor in 2014 and 2010, is one of the more well-known candidates in the race.
