Toms River Hires Atlantic City Mayor As Business Administrator

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- Toms River will have a new business administrator in 2018, after the Township Council approved the hiring of Don Guardian, currently mayor of Atlantic City, to fill the position being vacated by the retirement of Paul J. Shives.

Guardian, a Republican who has been mayor of Atlantic City since 2014, lost a bid for re-election in November. The 64-year-old was the first Republican mayor of the city since 1990, according to a Philly.com report.

His four-year term as mayor included the challenges to the city of the loss of five casinos and state oversight of the city's finances, according to the Philly.com report. Guardian, during the election campaign, pointed to new investment in the city that includes Stockton University’s coming campus and the Hard Rock Casino’s purchase of the Taj Mahal casino property.

In a news release, Guardian said he is looking forward to the opportunity to work for Toms River.

"I believe my experience over the past four years has helped me tremendously in preparing for this important municipal government position," said Guardian, who was director of the Atlantic City business improvement district for 20 years before becoming mayor. "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."

Guardian, who said he will continue to live in Atlantic City, said taking the job in Toms River brings him back to the area where he lived for many years

"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," he said. "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.

"I want to especially thank Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher and the Toms River (Township) Council for giving me this great opportunity. I also want to thank the League of Municipalities for all their help in finding this opportunity," Guardian said.

Shives, 65, announced his retirement in November; according to a report in the Asbury Park Press, he was appointed as Toms River's business administrator in 2009; his last day is Jan. 12.

Don Guardian, photo via Atlantic City government website