Ehrlich, a 66-year-old entrepreneur and founder of Pirate's Booty Snacks, attempted an audacious takeover of the town hall in Sea Cliff, a quaint village with fewer than 5,000 residents. On March 10, Ehrlich breached the town hall with a small militia and declared himself the mayor. He claimed, as his legal justification, a New York state law that he thought gave local residents the right to dissolve or reformulate their town. Almost immediately, his efforts were ruled illegal and without legal foundation.
Ehrlich waved an envelope full of carefully curated voters he said could sink his planned hostile takeover. He focused on flashy announcements though kept the envelope from municipal employees. He argued that the signatories were scared of what would happen if they didn’t listen. In response to increasing tensions, Ehrlich and his cronies adopted a more aggressive posture. They defiantly ignored repeated pleas from employees to vacate the village office, including employees requesting that they leave.
"Raised their voices, used profane language, made outlandish claims, and engaged in direct harassment of Village personnel," the Village reported regarding the incident.
The situation created "a hostile and disruptive environment that required police intervention," according to Village sources. Even so, Ehrlich went on to launch a write-in bid for mayor after these occurrences — despite all of this! His insurgent campaign didn’t quite succeed. He ended up losing to the incumbent, Elena Villafane, in a stunning vote of 1,064 to 62.
Ehrlich was not dissuaded by his electoral defeat. He had the audacity to call the village election “rigged,” and declared, “I’m still the mayor.” His actions are leading to a much-needed and long-overdue controversy and debate within the community.
Village leaders commended their staff during this tumultuous period:
"They are a credit to our Village and demonstrate the motto of 'Keep Calm and Carry On,'" they remarked.