‘Pizza Gate’: Gulf Shores restaurant closes after political sign confrontation

L.A. Pizzeria at 520 West Beach in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Pizza, politics, and campaign signs collided last week, leading to the sudden closure of a Gulf Shores pizza parlor.

The incident, now dubbed “Pizza Gate” on social media, has stirred controversy in the final weeks of the city’s heated mayoral race ahead of the Aug. 26 election.

At the center of the dispute: a clash over political signs outside L.A. Pizzeria. The controvery started as a disagreement and heated altercation on July 24 between the pizzeria’s owner, Demetrious Lambidonis, and the property’s landlord, David Swiger — who also happens to be the husband of mayoral candidate Angie Swiger.

But it didn’t end there.

“Being a businessman, we try to stay neutral,” Lambidonis told the Gulf Shores City Council at the end of Monday’s meeting where the dispute spilled into public view. “Playing sides politically on certain subjects doesn’t mix well with business.”

A campaign sign for mayoral candidate Angie Swiger as picture on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The two sides continued their clash on Monday in the parking lot outside Gulf Shores City Hall after the two had spoken about their dispute at the conclusion of the meeting.

“We hope everyone calms down and lets the election get here and we can all move on,” said Interim Gulf Shores Police Chief Dan Netemeyer whose agency wrote up reports on the July 24 and Monday incidents.

Sign display

The friction first arose on July 24 with the placement of Angie Swiger’s mayoral campaign sign out front of the pizzeria.

Lambidonis told the council on Monday that he decided to have other campaign signs placed alongside Angie Swiger’s sign. He said it was only fair, given that he personally did not want to show bias toward one candidate or another.

L.A. Pizzeria at 520 West Beach in Gulf Shores, Ala.

“We added the other signs, so we didn’t play favoritism,” Lambidonis told the council. “With that being said, the other signs were taken out and thrown away. We then decided to take down his wife’s signs. We want to stay neutral and not show bias to one or the other.”

L.A. Pizzeria at 520 West Beach in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Angie Swiger is facing longtime incumbent Mayor Robert Craft in the mayoral race. Also running for mayor is political newcomer Ray Moore Jr.

Angie Swiger said there is language written within the pizzeria’s lease that says there is to be no signs put up on the property without prior approval from the property owner.

She said her own campaign signs had been placed outside the pizzeria for a month, and that no one had raised any concerns about it ahead of last week.

Lambidonis claims that David Swiger, on Thursday, came into the pizzeria and was “loud” and “swearing” over the placement of additional campaign signs alongside Angie Swiger’s sign.

“He made it clear to me that either we keep her signs on her property, or we could get out,” Lambidonis said. “It was kind of a ‘wow’ moment.”

Pizzeria closure

Lambidonis and his wife, B.K., made the decision to close their business following the altercation and the filing of a police incident report at the Gulf Shores Police Department.

By Friday, the couple plans to vacate the parlor’s premises.

“I prayed on it,” Demetrious Lambidonis said about his decision to close the pizzeria during his remarks before the city council. “I won’t be pushed around. It’s wrong.”

Swiger is questioning the motives behind the hurried exit. She said there was no ultimatum based on campaign signage, nor was anyone evicted over the dispute. She said her husband was “very apologetic” for the heated encounter.

Netemeyer said his agency was not pursing charges related to Thursday’s altercation.

“They were not interested in that,” Netemeyer said about pizzeria owners. “The tensions are high. It’s election season.”

Swiger, in a statement Tuesday to AL.com, said that Lambidonis chose to leave the premises as soon as the busy summer season was over. She said that L.A. Pizzeria, formerly Surfside Pizza and Ice Cream, had been open for about four months.

“Who closes their business, their lifelong dream, over a sign?” said Swiger, who runs a real estate business with her husband. “We’ve been in business for 32 years and have tenants who have been with us for decades. The whole situation is very odd.”

Political motives

She also calls it a “low blow” for Demetrious Lambidonis to take his concerns publicly before the City Council, some of whom are also running for re-election.

Lambidonis, during his remarks to the council, asked them to review their sign ordinances to ensure that a similar tenant-landlord clashes over political signage does not reoccur.

Swiger spoke after Lambidonis addressed the council. She raised her concerns during the end of the council meeting.

After the meeting, Swiger accused the Gulf Shores City Council of using the council chambers to “orchestrate an ambush and to attempt to publicly shame and quiet the voice of an opposing mayoral opponent.”

Her criticism was directed at Mayor Pro Tem Philip Harris, who was filling in for Craft. The current mayor was in Washington, D.C., along with other city officials from Baldwin County, to meet with Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville.

Harris told Swiger he felt the council chambers was not the “right venue” to raise the issue.

“People are smart, and they see this whole thing for what it is,” Swiger later said on Facebook, adding that she believes people have been treated poorly in the council chambers before. She called her treatment as an “all-time low.”

Council comments

Harris, in an email to AL.com, said Lambidonis and Swiger were allowed to address the council during the public comment section of the meeting. He said there was nothing unusual about it.

“We always welcome comments, concerns and questions without censorship,” Harris said. “This night was no different.”

Harris noted that Lambidonis, after sharing his story, asked the council to consider some type of campaign sign reform to protect businesses from being subjected to political involvement.

He said the issue was timely and is under consideration.

“During the past two elections, political signs have been a very contentious part of the election process,” Harris said. “There are many opinions about political signs, and certainly a topic that deserves real consideration for ordinance modifications before the next local elections.”

Councilman Jason Dyken, also in an email to AL.com, said there was no scheme or political setup against Swiger at the conclusion to Monday’s meeting.

“Council members exist to serve the public interest – not to protect political ambitions or shield anyone from accountability,” he said. “To call transparency and public accountability a ‘low blow’ is pure deflection. The council chambers weren’t used to shame anyone – they were used exactly as intended: for concerned citizens to have open, transparent discussion.”

Dyken said that Swiger’s comments on social media are “spin, not substance.”

“They’re deflection and distortion,” he said. “The people of Gulf Shores know the difference – they deserve better than this type of reckless behavior from a candidate for any political office.”

Swiger said the controversy illustrates a need for change in Gulf Shores.

“Thankfully, I represent and serve the good people of Gulf Shores who I know and love,” she wrote on Facebook. “Good people who are above these antics. Actually, they’re sick of it. It’s more obvious than every how much we need change. I’m here for it.”

Lambidonis’ wife, B.K., in her Facebook post, believes Swiger is attempting to utilize her family for political gain. She called it “disturbing and bordering the lines of harassment,” and questions how apologetic the Swiger’s are for the initial confrontation.

“Please just leave us alone,” she said.

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