COLORADO CITY, Texas — A Texas mayor said he resigned hours after he posted an insensitive message telling residents "only the strong will survive and the weak will [perish]" during a deadly and record-breaking winter storm.
"No one owes you [or] your family anything, nor is it the local government's responsibility to support you during trying times like this," Tim Boyd, the now-former mayor of Colorado City, wrote in a now-deleted post on Facebook.
Boyd's rant was posted to his page on Tuesday, which marked more than 24 hours after several residents in the small town of 4,000 were left without power or water. Across the state, more than 3 million were without power due to the storm Tuesday, according to ERCOT's outage map.
"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," he added.
When power and water companies couldn't predict when services would be restored, residents turned to Facebook groups for help. Some asked if the city was going to open warming shelters while others posted tips on using snow to flush their toilets.
Some people even called Boyd's office for help. Instead of offering advice or assistance, they were met with the grim message to "step up and come up with a game plan" and that "I'll be damned if I'm going to provide for anyone that is capable of doing it themselves."
"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 you['re] lazy is a direct result of your raising!," his post said.
"Bottom line quit crying and looking for a handout! Get off your ass and take care of your own family!," he added.
Boyd's post received quite the backlash on social media, which included threatening messages to him and his family. In a follow-up post hours later, Boyd said his wife was fired as the result of "things [he] said out of context."
"I never meant to speak for the city of Colorado City or Mitchell County," he said. "I was speaking as a citizen as I am NOT THE MAYOR anymore."
Boyd indicated he already put in his resignation before Feb. 12, the date to run for mayor.
