After his time as Mayor, Guardian was named as Business Administrator by the Toms River, New Jersey Township Council, for which he was paid an annual salary of $175,000.[4]
Elective office
On January 19, 2013, Guardian announced he was challenging incumbent mayor Lorenzo Langford. He won the Republican primary unopposed. On November 5, Guardian defeated Langford by 50% to 47%.[5][6] In the 2013 United States elections, he defeated incumbent Democratic mayor Lorenzo Langford to become Atlantic City's first openly gay mayor and first Republican mayor since 1990.[1][7] In the 2017 election, Guardian lost re-election to Democratic city councilman, Frank Gilliam.[8]
Guardian and fellow Republican Claire Swift won the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election, defeating the Democratic slate of incumbent Assemblyman John Armato and Atlantic County Commissioner Caren Fitzpatrick; the district's other Assemblyman, Democrat Vince Mazzeo, did not seek reelection to the Assembly in order to make what would ultimately be an unsuccessful bid for the district's State Senate seat.[9]
On January 11, 2022, Guardian was sworn in to the New Jersey General Assembly, making him the first openly gay Republican legislator in state history and the only openly gay member of the New Jersey Legislature.[10]
Committees
Committee assignments for the current session are:[11]
Environment and Solid Waste
Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources
^Zillman, Claire. "Atlantic City’s salesman-in-chief: Don Guardian’s uphill battle to save a city down on its luck", Fortune, December 27, 2014. Accessed January 13, 2022. "After graduating from now-defunct Upsala College in Essex County, Guardian sought a career in public service. 'I ended college in 1975. If I’d ended it in ’73, I would have been working as a second lieutenant in Vietnam, so I felt it was my responsibility to serve.'"
^Oglesby, Amanda. "Atlantic City mayor Donald Guardian to be next Toms River administrator", Asbury Park Press, December 27, 2017. Accessed January 18, 2018. "Atlantic City Mayor Donald Guardian has weathered tough economic times in his city — the reason Toms River Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher says Guardian is the right person to take over as the township's new business administrator. The Township Council approved Guardian's appointment on Tuesday night. He will replace outgoing Business Administrator Paul Shives, Kelaher said."
^Bongard, Kimberlee. "Guardian, Swift Win Assembly Seats In 2nd District: AP", Galloway, NJ Patch, November 4, 2021. Accessed April 10, 2022. "Claire Swift and Don Guardian have been elected to the New Jersey Assembly in the 2nd Legislative District, according to results from The Associated Press. The two Republican candidates defeated Democratic Assemblyman John Armato and Caren Fitzpatrick. Guardian received 30,414 votes, unseating Armato with 26,702 votes. Swift received the most votes of the four candidates, totaling 30,626 to Fitzpatrick's 25,750 votes."
^Biryukov, Nikita. "Guardian’s election brings LGBT representation back to Statehouse", New Jersey Monitor, November 19, 2021. Accessed January 13, 2022. "Only two other openly gay members have ever held legislative seats in New Jersey. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, a former assemblyman, become the first after he came out in 2006, and former Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen) became the second openly gay member after his 2012 swearing-in. Guardian will be the state’s first openly gay Republican legislator when he’s sworn in on Jan. 11."
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