Washington's manager is indefinitely suspended. The search for a full-time hire continues.
A temporary replacement has been hired in place of a Warren County municipal official under investigation.
Washington Borough Manager/Clerk Kristine Blanchard was indefinitely suspended without pay last month after authorities secured her office at the request of elected officials.
The nature of the investigation into Blanchard, which Mayor Scott McDonald has said is still ongoing, has not been disclosed. No charges have been filed.
McDonald on Tuesday said that an interim manager has been hired as a search for a full-time replacement continues.
"She's going to keep the ship on the right path until we get that person in," McDonald said. The borough's part-time chief financial officer, Natasha Turchan, had temporarily assumed managerial duties after Blanchard's suspension.
Jasmine Lim, a consultant with the Morristown-based Canning Group, started in the interim role Tuesday at a rate of $95 an hour, the mayor said. The Cannning Group provides services to municipalities including staffing studies and searches, according to its website.
Lim said she has 35 years of experience in local government, most of that time spent in administrative roles. She has been working with Canning since retiring from full-time work, she said.
"The situation itself is not a concern to me," Lim said of Washington. "I've been in messy situations before and had to deal with those."
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Blanchard, a Warren County native, started as borough clerk in June 2006 and was named the borough's interim manager in 2012, eventually appointing her to both positions full-time. She was making $97,680 this year, according to state pension records.
McDonald previously said that Blanchard in June tendered her resignation as borough manager, effective later this month, but planned to stay on as clerk.
An ad on the New Jersey League of Municipalities website says the borough is seeking someone with five years of experience, and that residency is preferred. The borough has a population 6,500, 30 employees and a $7 million budget, the ad says.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.