The mayor of New Jersey's gambling destination of Atlantic City and his wife pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

The mayor of Atlantic City and his wife, who is the seaside gambling resort's schools superintendent, pleaded not guilty Thursday to beating and abusing their teenage daughter, with a lawyer saying that “parenting struggles are not criminal events.

The couple did not address the charges after the hearing, but their attorneys provided a statement, saying both would be acquitted at trial.