Farewell, Good Wishes to Red Bank's CFO

"I'm sad to see you go," Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna said to the borough's chief financial officer, Colleen Lapp at Tuesday night's council meeting about her recent announcement that she had accepted a job as Middletown's CFO.  "And stop crying, because now you're going to make me cry … I really mean this … You're such a gem. We are blessed that you have been with us."

Officials joked that Lapp would be right "across the pond" (actually, river) in Middletown, so they'd still be seeing her around and possibly dealing with overlapping issues, but they still hate to see her go.

"We're join to miss you, but you're going to be just across the bridge," Councilman Art Murphy sad. "You've done a stellar job. You've kept a lot of people in line and helped us in maintaining our budget."

Menna, calling Lapp a "top notch professional," said that "Red Bank's loss is Middletown's gain."

Acknowledging that the move to Middletown, which is the largest municipality in Monmouth County, is a hard-to-pass-up career opportunity for Lapp, the mayor said that she is a "consummate professional, an astute barometer of how things should be done in the financial municipal area.

"You will bring an invaluable treasure trove of knowledge, dedication and administration to the people of Middletown."

Councilman Ed Zipprich echoed the sentiment, saying that "from the moment you walked through the door, you have been the ultimate professional."

Councilwoman Juanita Lewis reflected on that moment, reminding all that when Lapp interviewed "we talked about who you would want at 3 in the morning on the other side of the red phone. That's the person you would want."

A teary-eyed Lapp took a moment to thank officials and say that "it wasn't an easy decision to make, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a challenge."

Lapp is scheduled to begin work in Middletown on Dec. 9 at a salary of $135,000, according to officials. Lapp's salary in Red Bank was listed as $93,000 in state records.