It was a fitting costume for a man who has fought for his city’s independence. He’s been “fighting that Revolutionary War,” as he put it on WOND Monday afternoon.

That fight is out of his hands now after a year of dueling press conferences, trips to Trenton and marathon City Council meetings. The state is expected to decide Tuesday whether it will accept the city’s fiscal recovery plan or take over the city’s finances for five years.

Will the unlikely mayor — an openly gay Republican in a Democrat-controlled city — pull off another political upset? Guardian was confident Monday while giving out candy for “Trunk or Treat,” where 3,000 young people citywide collect candy from cars in designated areas.

“I think they’re going to accept the plan with some reservations, some provisions,” Guardian said.

He compared himself to a student awaiting a college acceptance letter but didn’t show signs of stress. He teased a reporter for constantly following him, “waiting for me to collapse.”

Guardian spent the evening marrying a couple, talking on the radio and handing out candy at Pop Lloyd Stadium, Bass Pro Shops and Bader Field.

He also reflected on his “Revolutionary War” against the state.

A state takeover once felt inevitable, but there are signs momentum is shifting the city’s way. Senate President Steve Sweeney, who introduced the so-called takeover law, recently said the state does not want to take over the city. A spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie, who pushed for the takeover, would only say the matter is before the Department of Community Affairs commissioner. And Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic, a sponsor of the takeover, called the city’s plan viable and hoped it would be accepted.

Guardian and his chief of staff, Chris Filiciello, described a multi-pronged approach to try to stave off a state takeover. Early on it involved fiery rhetoric — Guardian had called the takeover a “fascist dictatorship” — that helped raise it to a civil-rights issue, not just an Atlantic City one.

“Thinking ‘the rest of the state has to realize — Paterson, Trenton, Newark are all holding on now — that this could happen to their cities, too,’” Guardian said. “Everyone had said, ‘You’ll never get northern (New Jersey) politicians ever to work with you.’”

But he did. He made an important alliance with Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, who bought the city time by getting amendments to the takeover legislation. That ultimately gave the city the 150 days to draft its fiscal recovery plan.

Another key alliance was with Council President Marty Small, who has stitched together majorities needed to sell Bader Field, share services with Atlantic County and approve new labor contracts, among other important measures. Small is a likely 2017 mayoral candidate, but Guardian and Small worked together anyway.

“He was a key partner,” Filiciello said of Small. “I think Marty was the right person at the right time on council.”

The final phase in the city’s fight was to “go out and get the best people” to draft the city’s plan and promote it across the state. The city hired consultants from the PFM Group, McManimon Scotland & Baumann and NW Financial Group.

“So you had two strategies,” Filiciello said. “Putting together a feasible plan and making sure that everybody knows it’s a feasible plan.”

That plan includes settling with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for $103 million within 90 days over tax refunds the city owes the casino. Borgata was owed $150 million in tax refunds and has withheld $23 million in property taxes this year to offset the refunds and would withhold another $8 million tax payment this year.

The city’s financial drama won’t end no matter what happens Tuesday. If the state rejects the city’s plan, Guardian said the city will appeal the decision in court. If the state accepts it, the city will still have to get the plan implemented or face a state takeover later. The city needs six votes on council to bond for the $105 million to pay back Borgata, for example. As of Monday night, the city only had five.

“Although we didn’t start this war, it will be over tomorrow,” Guardian said. “Now we have to work to keep the peace. We have to pull our partners together and keep them together.”