Rhonda Barwick Finally Retiring After 32 Years — A Blessing for Kinston

After 32 years of surviving off the city, City Manager Rhonda Barwick has finally announced she’ll retire in February 2026. For taxpayers, this is nothing short of a blessing. Her bloated salary has been a burden for years, and now Kinston will finally get some relief.

Barwick’s income has inflated to $142,000 a year, nearly double what former City Manager Tony Sears was making when he left after 15 years at just $85,000. That comparison alone shows how out of control things have gotten. And it’s not just her — several department heads under her watch have been pulling down bloated salaries too, while ordinary residents struggle and neighborhoods like East Kinston remain neglected.

For years, taxpayers have been footing the bill for inflated paychecks while the city has failed to deliver on basic needs like infrastructure, beautification, and transparency. A petition even circulated calling for Barwick’s removal, pointing to misallocated funds and a lack of accountability.

Now, with her retirement, Kinston has a chance to turn the page. No more bloated salaries draining taxpayer dollars without results. The city can finally redirect money where it belongs — into the community, not into oversized paychecks for administrators.

Barwick’s departure marks the end of her long career, but for Kinston, it marks the beginning of something better: a chance to reset priorities, demand transparency, and make sure leadership works for the people instead of themselves. And in spite of the shape the city is in for the residents, we still wish Rhonda a happy retirement.

Barwick’s departure marks the end of her long career, but for Kinston, it marks the beginning of something better: a chance to reset priorities, demand transparency, and make sure leadership works for the people instead of themselves. And in spite of the shape the city is in for the residents, we still wish Rhonda a happy retirement. Many suspected she would take tail and run once the exposure began, and she proved residents to be correct — and for that, we thank her tremendously.

Written and inspired by: Quarla Blackwell