Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Pirate’s Booty Founder and East Village Dive Bar Owner Proclaims He’s Now a Small-Town NY Mayor | Eater NY

"An iconic East Village dive bar whose ownership includes Robert Ehrlich, the inventor of the puffy, cheesy snack Pirate’s Booty. Ehrlich founded Pirate's Booty in 1987; B&G Foods bought Pirate Brands for $195 million in 2013, and Hershey later acquired the business for $420 million in 2018. Ehrlich, 66, has recently become the subject of political controversy in his hometown of Sea Cliff: he has self-proclaimed himself mayor, declared himself a write-in candidate at a contentious town hall meeting, and among his first orders as self-appointed mayor demanded office space and attempted to fire the whole village staff (though they can reapply), prompting baffled village officials to call police to diffuse the scene. He said, "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," per a promotional video posted by Ehrlich. The status of his claim remains unclear; village officials posted that "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." - Tierney Plumb