Financial Officer Tom Grady Retires

After working for Cranford for 27 years, Financial Officer Tom Grady said the aspect of the job he will miss the most is the people he works with. 

"I've been here a long time and formed a lot of relationships over the years," Grady said, who is now retiring.

It goes both ways. On Wednesday, his last day, Grady's phone rang constantly  – friends and co-workers calling to congratulate him and say goodbye.

While he'll miss them, the Hopatcong resident said he's looking forward to spending more time with his three children.

"It feels great," he said.

The newly appointed financial officer, Jeff Theriault, a Roxbury resident, will take over his office at 8 Springfield Avenue next week. An accountant with over 20 years of experience in finance, Theriault said the greatest challenge right now for all New Jersey municipalities is maintaining the current state of services offered by the town, as "most of our state aids are reduced."

His career in finance started in Rockaway Township during the mid-1980s, where he worked as a senior accountant for 10 years.  During that time he took classes at Rutgers University in order to gain a license to become a financial officer.

He finally received it in the mid-1990s, moving on to become the financial officer in Hackettstown for five years, then in Booton for another five years and Mendham for four-and-a-half.