Departing Atlantic City mayor lands job in another local government

Outgoing Atlantic City Mayor Donald Guardian, who navigated challenging financial waters in New Jersey’s gambling hub for the past four years, has found a new role with another Garden State municipality 50 miles north.

The Toms River Township Council tapped Guardian as its new business administrator starting in January. Guardian, who was elected as Atlantic City’s first Republican mayor since 1990 in 2013, lost a re-election bid to two-term Democratic City Councilman Frank Gilliam on Nov. 7. He sought during his four years in office to create more business diversity to a city that suffered four casino closures in 2014 and nearly defaulted on its debt last year before New Jersey’s Local Finance Board implemented a state takeover.

“I believe my experience over the past four years has helped me tremendously in preparing for this important municipal government position,” said Guardian in a statement. “Although I will still be living in Atlantic City, I look forward to commuting each day to Toms River and bringing with me all the local government knowledge that I gained over the past four years as mayor and previous 20 years as director of the local business improvement district.”

Guardian was director of the Atlantic City Special Improvement District. He also held executive positions with the Boy Scouts of America for 16 years.

Toms River, in Ocean County had a population of 91,239 in the 2010 U.S. Census. Moody’s Investors Services rates it Aa3.