Mayor Recuses Himself from Horton's Seafood Liquor License Vote

Mayor Bruce Rogers was removed from the liquor license renewal process for  at  due to his employment status at the restaurant.

During this week's meeting, liquor licenses across the city were considered for renewal. Rogers said on Friday morning that four establishments were removed from the master list for consideration by the council. Of those four, three were being considered for failure to pay vendors: ,  and .

According to Rogers, the fourth, Horton's Seafood, was brought before the council so that Mayor Rogers could recuse himself from voting on the renewal of the license, as he is employed there.

"I asked that Horton's also be removed from the list, so that I could recuse myself from voting on renewing their license, as I am employed there," Rogers said. 

Rogers, who performs computer-based ordering for the restaurant, signed a recusal form during the council meeting. According to Rogers, removing Horton's along with the other businesses was an attempt to essentially avoid a conflict of interest and promote transparency.

"Horton's Seafood was not removed from the master list because of vendors not being paid," Rogers said. "That was a separate issue."

The council renewed Horton's  Seafood liquor license with a vote of four-to-zero. The council also granted licenses to the other three establishments, pending that vendors are paid by December 1.