With new tattoo, Bradenton mayoral candidate Warren Merriman backs the Bolts

Bradenton mayoral candidate Warren Merriman may not #BoycottBradenton, but he made clear he supports the Tampa Bay Lightning by going to a Tampa radio station and while he was on the air, getting a tattoo of the Lightning’s trademark lighting bolt logo.

Some Lightning fans vowed to boycott Bradenton after the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau bought advertising on rally towels distributed to fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is playing the Lightning in the NHL Eastern Conference finals.

CVB Executive Director Elliott Falcione this week took responsibility for the ad buy and said it was a mistake.

Wednesday morning, Merriman went on the Mike Calta show on Tampa Bay’s 102.5 “The Bone,” and got a Lightning tattoo live on the air. Merriman said he did it to bring back visitors to Bradenton.

“I’m speaking about it to bring light to the fact that it’s not all of Bradenton,” said Merriman. “I got my first tattoo to show my support for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay professional teams and I want you to come to Bradenton when I’m mayor. I bleed blue.”

Last weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins handed out 20,000 towels to fans sponsored by the Bradenton Convention and Visitors Bureau. The towels said “Let’s Go Pens!”

It caused a national backlash with people saying they would “boycott” Bradenton via a trending hashtag. The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has since apologized.

On the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Facebook page, a statement reads: “Together, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Greater Bradenton Area, are a community who loves and supports the Tampa Bay Lightning. We apologize to those within the Lightning fan base who are offended and angered by our recent promotion with the Pittsburgh Penguins. We have, and always will support the Lightning. We have been a proud sponsor and marketing partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the last two years, investing more than three times the amount we have invested in our marketing initiatives with the Penguins. We deeply respect and admire the passion Florida sports fans have for their home team, and our organization remains committed to reciprocating that passion not only for our area’s sports franchises, but for the community that we serve. We look forward to cheering on the Lightning throughout the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and beyond.”

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 12:29 PM with the headline "With new tattoo, Bradenton mayoral candidate Warren Merriman backs the Bolts."