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Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford, pictured above, lost his re-election bid in November to Republican Don Guardian, who was sworn in to office today. Guardian is the first Republican mayor in the city in 23 years.

(Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger)

ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic City's new mayor is warning of tough times ahead as the seaside gambling resort tries to straighten its finances out.

Don Guardian was sworn in to office today, becoming the first Republican to lead the city in 23 years.

Guardian beat Democratic incumbent Lorenzo Langford in an upset in November's election. Guardian says one of his goals is to work better with Gov. Chris Christie on matters of concern to Atlantic City.

The 60-year-old Guardian is a gay Republican who rode a multi-ethnic coalition to victory in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 9-to-1.

His priorities include addressing the city's crime and cleanliness problems, attracting new commercial and residential development and ending a string of casino tax appeals that are straining the city's finances.

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