Atlantic City's mayor was noticeably absent from many League of Municipalities events — including the traditional host city welcome.
Frank Gilliam has been getting a lot of attention since a fistfight outside the Haven Nightclub in the Golden Nugget this weekend.
As a result, he agreed to skip the events covered by media to keep the focus on the conference's content and off the recent controversy, League of Municipalities Executive Director Michael Darcy said.
"We talked and decided we wanted to focus on the content of the conference," Darcy said of a discussion he had with Gilliam. "We concerned it would be overshadowed by the news cycle."
When asked if it was Darcy's idea that Gilliam went along with, Darcy insisted it was "a discussion."
"I don't tell mayors what to do," he said. "I work for mayors."
The fight that also involved Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy is under investigation by the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, a move made by the Attorney General's Office.
Video from outside the club shows Gilliam punching a man and Fauntleroy bringing another man to the ground.
It was not clear if there was video from inside the club, where Fauntleroy has said the incident began.
Gilliam spoke with Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver inside City Hall on Tuesday. On his way out, he said they spoke about "moving the city forward."
When asked if he was still mayor, he smiled and said, "Today," before shutting the door of his city-issued SUV.
