From Desk to Director: Rhonda Barwick’s 32-Year journey culminates in retirement
After more than three decades of dedicated service, Rhonda Barwick is retiring, marking the end of a remarkable 32-year tenure with the city. Barwick began her career on September 13th, 1993, arriving excited and early for her first position as an administrative assistant in the city manager's office, a desk located right beside the office she occupies now, bringing her career "full circle". She was hired by then-City Manager Steve Raper.
Over the 32 years, Barwick experienced significant personal milestones and losses, including getting married, having children, and suffering the losses of her parents and her husband.
A Climb Through City Hall and Breaking Barriers
Barwick’s career progression touched numerous critical city functions, demonstrating an unparalleled breadth of experience:
She started as an a deputy clerk. She then served as a purchasing coordinator and a budget analyst.
She moved to the City Clerk’s office, serving as deputy city clerk and then city clerk.
She transitioned to the Utilities Department (now Public Services), becoming the first Business Office administrator.
She continued rising in Public Services, becoming Operations Manager and then Public Services Director (a role she held from about 2007 until 2021).
In 2021, she became Interim City Manager, and was officially hired as City Manager the following year.
Notably, Barwick broke ground for women in several leadership positions. She was the first female Operations Manager, Public Service Director, and City Manager. She was also the first to hold the Business Office administrator position.
The Utility Transformation: Ensuring Stability
A significant portion of Barwick’s career focused on the public utilities/public services sector. One of the achievements she is most proud of is the transformation of the city’s electric rates. When she first came to the department, electric rates were 35% higher than Duke Energy, leading to frequent negative news coverage due to multiple retail rate increases.
This challenging situation eventually turned around. Through the sale of generator assets, the city was able to pay off 70% of its debt. Consequently, the city has not had a wholesale or retail rate increase in the past 16 years.
Implementing a 4% reduction for customers a couple of months ago, which is anticipated to provide stability for about three years.
The electric department moved from struggling to balance its budget (once facing a gap of almost a million dollars) to a place where it can plan ahead, keep rates controlled, and pay cash for equipment and improvements.
Leadership, Staff Stabilization, and Collaborative Success
As City Manager, Barwick addressed a challenging period of high staff turnover, which saw the city lose key personnel like the Planning Director, HR Director, and Recreation Director to higher paying, less demanding jobs.
Under her leadership, the city worked to stabilize staffing by implementing a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for employees, including a 5% increase this year. While turnover still occurs, it is not at the "unprecedented" level experienced previously. Barwick expressed immense pride in the quality and dedication of the new employees hired in those roles care about the people that live here".
"Rhonda was instrumental in many of the crucial infrastructure and development projects moving forward. Specifically, she helped advance the Glen Raven Mills project, which will include a world-class, championship-level BMX/skate park facility expected to draw significant tourism and tax revenue," said local business owner Stephen Hill.
Furthermore, she helped establish the Joint Working Committee, fostering improved collaboration between the city and the county, notably working together on the Downtown Master Plan and the TIDE program.
Institutional Knowledge and Personal Impact
Barwick’s vast experience and dedication had a significant impact on her team. Althea Simmons, who has been with the City of Kinston for 17 years and worked with Barwick at Public Services, offered powerful insight into her leadership. Simmons emphasized the sheer amount of knowledge she gained from Barwick, and recalled that when Barwick became City Manager, she specifically requested Simmons to be her assistant.
“The worker relationship that I have with her is beyond anything that I can even try to describe,” Simmons stated. She described Rhonda Barwick as “such an amazing person, very knowledgeable, I mean, with a caring heart.”
Simmons highlighted the unparalleled depth of Barwick's knowledge, asserting: “anything that you want to know about the city of Kinston, that’s Rhonda Barwick.” Simmons reiterated that Barwick has “placed her hand on” nearly every area, having worked from city clerk, purchasing, public services director, to City Manager, making her a "very, very knowledgeable, great person to work" with, and concluded, “I will truly miss Rhonda Barwick.”
A Legacy of Integrity and Future Plans
When asked what she hopes to see carried past her retirement, Barwick emphasized the need for continued integrity and professionalism within the city. She is meticulous about ensuring things are "done the right way," regardless of external pressures. She pointed to the city’s consistent receipt of awards for its annual audit, highlighting the expertise of the finance director (a CPA and former auditor).
The one project Barwick wished she could stay to see completed is the implementation of mobile dispatching. This initiative is designed to move from printing paper service orders to real-time, in-truck computer dispatching, dramatically increasing efficiency and response time for citizens.
Her advice for the incoming City Manager is straightforward: “Be patient, don't give up, and stay focused on the job by remaining above the fray. Let politicians handle the political things.”
For her own retirement, on February 1, 2026, Barwick is looking forward to enjoying time off and not having the 24/7 work phone constantly attached to her hip. She plans to travel and find new ways to fill her time.
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