Pirate’s Booty founder declares himself mayor of small Long Island village using obscure state law
Try that in a small town.
The founder of beloved cheese-puff brand Pirate’s Booty claims to be the mayor of a newly formed Long Island town-within-a-town in a “legal” maneuver that is being brushed off by officials of the already-existing enclave.
Robert Ehrlich, who created Pirate’s Booty in 1987, has invoked an arcane New York state law called the Citizen Empowerment Act to create a “new” village within Sea Cliff, which is located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, and install himself as its mayor, News 12 reported.
“I have so many great ideas. I love Sea Cliff from the bottom of my heart, and I don’t want this to go in the wrong way,” Ehrlich pitched in a video on Facebook, according to News 12.
The legal chicanery came to a dramatic crescendo at a Sea Cliff village town hall meeting earlier this week, where Ehrlich declared his authority to village officials who were outraged and incensed at the presumptuous, soft-peddaling insurrection.
The 66-year-old arrived with a crew of three men and a list of demands for village officials — including requiring his own office space and the resignation of all current employees.
“Upon arrival, Ehrlich presented a statement falsely asserting his authority as mayor, demanding access to office space, and declaring that the entire Village staff was fired effective immediately but could reapply for their jobs,” the Village of Sea Cliff said in a statement posted on Facebook.
The would-be mayor and his trio of advisers became irate when village officials attempted to dismiss the outrageous demands — raising their voices, cursing and issuing direct threats for “nearly an hour,” according to that post.
“The activities of daily governance are unchanged, and the Village of Sea Cliff continues to operate under the guidance of its duly elected Board of Trustees,” the statement read.
Not all Sea Cliff residents were opposed to the possibility of an Ehrlich mayoralty.
“I think he’d do a great job because he’s proven himself in the field of business with Pirate’s Booty, he ran that like a tight ship,” Sea Cliff resident Tim Ayres told News 12.
Another resident told the outlet that she thought Ehrlich’s unorthodox approach was illegal, but it was “good for him” to try anyway, the report stated.
Ehrlich was attempting to utilize the little-known Citizen Empowerment Act, which allows voters to dissolve their government through a petition submitted to the clerk of the targeted town or village.
A successful dissolution requires 10% of the population of the town or village to sign the petition, according to the state of New York.
Sea Cliff boasts a population of around 5,000 people, meaning 500 signatures would be required to dissolve its government.
The village is set to hold elections this coming Tuesday, with Mayor Elena Villafane running unopposed. Ehrlich has declared himself a write-in candidate for the election, according to News 12.
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