Kinston's top job permanently filled after Tuesday night's announcement from city council
In a unanimous vote at Tuesday night's Kinston City Council meeting, the council approved to permanently fill the city's manager position with the current interim manager.
Former interim and now City Manager Rhonda Barwick stepped up to fill the vacancy left in August 2021 by Tony Sears who left to become the deputy manager for the city of Wilson.
Barwick was the city's public services director before taking over as interim manager and has served a total of 28 years with the city.
“I have held several positions with the city of Kinston over the years,” Barwick said. “My husband and I have raised our family here and this is where my heart is. I am excited about continuing to serve the citizens of Kinston.”
She said some of her biggest challenges as the interim city manager were the delays in hiring a police chief and planning director.
“I would have to say funding the salary adjustments was the most challenging issue to overcome," Barwick said. "We were losing trained and experienced employees to nearby communities who were paying much more than Kinston. While we still have some work to do, we made significant headway this past year to make Kinston more competitive in eastern North Carolina. Department heads have already begun seeing more qualified applicants for open positions."
Kinston Mayor Don Hardy had proud words to say of Barwick.
“She’s going to be a great asset to the team, and we are looking forward to working with her and doing great things," Hardy added. "Rhonda has been a dedicated employee of the city for many years. Her experience, positive attitude, and knowledge of local operations have been instrumental in her current position and will serve her well as she transitions into her new role as the permanent city manager.”
Barwick’s previous $115,000 per year salary came with at least a $15,000 raise, according to Hardy.
The city began its recruitment for a city manager in January and conducted a national selection process. It included a pool of over 50 applicants. Hardy went on to say Barwick was the strongest candidate by far.
When asked if she had any new ideas to add from her experiences as an interim, Barwick said she is seeing increased interest from housing developers which she has not seen in a while.
“I have tasked the departments to improve their community outreach to better educate our citizens and customers on our operations and what we offer,” said Barwick. “Programs like Kinston 101 and You & Five-O will continue. You & Five-O is a program to build better relationships between our police officers and the public. The interim chief and I have also discussed ways we can build better partnerships with our schools.”
Interim Police Chief Jenee Spencer, who may be in the running for chief of police, according to Hardy, also spoke highly of Barwick
“I would like to say, I appreciate the many years of service Mrs. Barwick has given to the city of Kinston, working for several departments within our city government," said Spencer. "I have the utmost respect for her and appreciate the knowledge she brings to her position. She has been a good leader for us during this time of transition.”
As city manager, Barwick will oversee the city budget, which is approximately $114 million and a workforce of over 300 people.
“Hiring a new police chief, planning director and now public services director are high on my list of priorities," Barwick added. "Recruitment efforts will begin soon to fill these important positions in our management team."
This article originally appeared on Kinston/Jones Free Press: Kinston's top job filled after city council's announcement Tuesday
