Don Guardian

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Don Guardian
Don Guardian Official Portrait 220th Session.jpg
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 2nd district
Assumed office
January 11, 2022
Serving with Claire Swift
Preceded byVince Mazzeo
John Armato
Mayor of Atlantic City
In office
January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byLorenzo Langford
Succeeded byFrank Gilliam
Personal details
Born (1953-06-12) June 12, 1953 (age 68)
Political partyRepublican
Domestic partnerLouis Fatato[1]
ResidenceAtlantic City, New Jersey
EducationUpsala College
ProfessionMunicipal official
WebsiteLegislative webpage

Donald A. Guardian (born June 12, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician who has represented 2nd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office on January 11, 2022, when he became the first openly gay Republican legislator in state history. He served as the Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey from 2014 to 2017.

Early life and education[]

Raised in Palisades Park, New Jersey and West New York, Guardian graduated from Don Bosco Preparatory High School.[2] He graduated in 1975 from Upsala College.[3]

Before being elected Mayor, Guardian served as an executive with the Boy Scouts of America and at the Claridge Hotel, and headed Atlantic City's Special Improvement District for two decades prior to his election as mayor.

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]

On January 11, 2022, Guardian was sworn-in to the New Jersey General Assembly. His election makes him the first openly gay Republican legislator in state history and the only openly gay member of the New Jersey Legislature.[9]

District 2[]

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 2nd District for the 2022—2023 Legislative Session are:[10]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Don Guardian sworn in as Atlantic City's new mayor", The Press of Atlantic City, January 1, 2014. Accessed January 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Brennan, John. "Atlantic City makes $1.8M bond payment, avoids default; Christie asks 'What's next?'", The Record, May 2, 2016. Accessed January 13, 2022. "'These are tough times — but the Assembly is tougher,' said Guardian, a Don Bosco graduate who grew up in Palisades Park and West New York."
  3. ^ 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.'"
  4. ^ 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."
  5. ^ "Don Guardian taking over as Atlantic City mayor", "WPVI-TV 6ABC Action News", January 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Vote count appears to seal win for AC mayoral challenger Guardian", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 1, 2013.
  7. ^ "Can A.C.'s first GOP mayor in decades help save city?". Philly.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Frank Gilliam wins Atlantic City mayor's office". pressofatlanticcity.com. November 8, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  9. ^ 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."
  10. ^ Legislative Roster for District 2, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Atlantic City
2014–2017 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""