Who Will Be Red Bank's Biggest Loser?

Councilman Mike DuPont is putting up $100 of his own cash for Red Bank's biggest loser.

As part of the newly-instituted Mayors Wellness Campaign, DuPont said he'd like he and his fellow members to lead as examples of a more healthy lifestyle by participating in a weight-loss competition, complete with weigh-ins - though not public ones - similar to the NBC reality television show of the same name.

The winner will receive $100 to be spent exclusively in Red Bank, DuPont said. The idea, he said, came from Woodbridge, whose leaders participated in a similar competition not too long ago.

"We're not like Woodbridge, we don't need to lose a ton, just a few pounds," DuPont said.

Prior to a recent council meeting, Melissa Kostinas, director of the Mayors Wellness Campaign, said the benefits of getting healthy really comes down to a matter of dollars and cents. For every dollar invested in health and fitness-related efforts, three dollars are earned in savings. The savings can be seen in a town's healthy employees, too. On average, a town will save about $1,500 per healthy employee, per year, compared to those who may not have the benefit of an active health and wellness campaign.

Currently, about 340 towns throughout the state are part of the Mayors Wellness Campaign, Kostinas said. The designation allows communities to better pursue available grant funding to help support costs related to providing services not only for town employees, but for a town's child and senior population, especially.

"If we can save some money in the long run and make out employees more healthy," DuPont said. "That's what's best."

It looks like the effort's going to start with the council. Just who plans on participating remains to be seen, though Councilman Ed Zipprich has already raised an objection to the plan. DuPont informed Zipprich that the 15 pounds he recently lost, unfortunately, will not count towards the weight-loss competition.