Outgoing Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian will continue in municipal government come January, Save Jerseyans, but not in the Boardwalk Empire.
On Wednesday, Guardian confirmed that he will take over as Business Administration in Republican-controlled Toms River.
“Over the past few weeks I have the looked into some great opportunities concerning what I would do next after my term as mayor of Atlantic City was completed. During that process, I discovered how much I really love serving residents in municipal government. To me, there really is no other form of government that can so greatly improve a resident’s life than through municipal government,” said Guardian….
That is why I proudly announce today that I will be accepting the position of Business Administrator within the Township of Toms River. I want to especially thank Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher and the Toms River City Council for giving me this great opportunity. I also want to thank the League of Municipalities for all their help in finding this opportunity.
I believe my experience over the past four years has helped me tremendously in preparing for this important municipal government position. And it completes a circle that started for me personally 42 years ago. I have nothing but great memories of Toms River and Ocean County. From 1975 until 1980, my first job out of college was with the Boy Scouts of America and I was directly assigned to serve the residents of Toms River and Ocean County. I worked closely with Mr. Joe Citta and the rest of the Ocean County community leaders to recruit, train, and mobilize young adults for the Boy Scouts program, and also as a camp director for Citta Scout Reservation.
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 twenty years as director of the local business improvement district. Serving the residents of Atlantic City has been my most fulfilling job ever. Now, I look forward to bringing that same enthusiasm and love of municipal government to the residents of Toms River.”
Toms River is the largest community in GOP power broker George Gilmore’s Ocean County fiefdom despite the fact that last month’s Democrat wave flipped three of the seven council seats; Guardian is a close ally of Gilmore and his political organization which supported Guardian’s 2013 A.C. mayoral candidacy and shares a common antagonism with Governor Chris Christie’s wing of the party establishment.
Guardian’s move also more than likely puts an end to speculation that he’s interested in seeking Frank LoBiondo’s open NJ-02 House seat next fall.
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