Republican Don Guardian who lost handily in the November election to Democrat Frank Gilliam Jr. and failed to retain his seat as mayor of Atlantic City now comes to Toms River Township to succeed Paul Shives as business administrator as of January 1, 2018.

The outgoing mayor of Atlantic City takes the spot of Shives who resigned from his post earlier this year but takes effect in January of 2018.

Shives leaves behind a budget that as of April heading into 2017 was $125,558,744.00 in Toms River where Guardian will pick things up heading into 2018 in a township still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Toms River Republican Mayor Tom Kelaher brought in Shives from Stafford Township following Democrat Paul Brush's term as mayor.

By the end of 2006, the conclusion of the Brush administration, a $22,000.00.00 surplus was left in Toms River's budget.

Our Townsquare Media New Jersey sister station WPG Talk Radio in Atlantic City reports that Guardian will receive a salary of $175,000.00 as business administrator in Toms River.

Mayor Kelaher has not yet released an official statement on the hiring.

A special meeting is a possibility ahead of the reorganization meeting next week in Toms River with three outgoing Republican members of the township council set to be succeeded by Democrats.

Here's an official statement prepared by incoming Toms River administrator Don Guardian:

"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.

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.

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."

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