Barkley to take over as Winslow’s city manager

Barkley’s resume is rich, in that he has over 20 years in the city and county administration field. He began his career in 1990 when he worked as a special aid to the Mayor in Baltimore, Md. From there, Barkley was a town administrator in Perryville, Md; a finance and human resources director in Baltimore; a town manager in Dumfries, Va.; town administrator in Roundhill, Va.; and most recently the county administrator in Greene County, Va.

According to his resume submitted to the City of Winslow, Barkley has had a hand in many improvements throughout his work history. For example, his resume reflects a successful partnership with the Corp of Engineers to complete grant-funded improvements along the Quantico Creek shoreline. It also boasts of successful management of budgets, designation of an historic district in Virginia and expansion of revenue streams in each city or town. Notably, Barkley contributed to the technological and economic development to rural communities throughout the region. Winslow City Council member Samantha Crisp said, “It stood out to me that he knew the importance of broadband and technology in small communities.”

What Barkley’s resume does not reflect, however, is his sudden resignation without explanation from his position as county administrator in June of 2018 after five years of service to the county.

The resignation came after it was revealed by the local press that the Greene County Board of Supervisors had issued Barkley a personal loan in the amount of $5,713 on Nov. 14, 2014. The loan, which was interest free and payable in three years, was funded by the Greene County general fund.

The terms of the loan according to an agreement signed by Barkley and Greene County officials reads, “The parties agree that if the loan is not paid in full by Nov. 12, 2017, Barkley shall be deemed in default, and the loan shall be repaid by a salary reduction in 12 equal payments with interest thereon, compounded monthly.” The interim County Manager Brenda Garton, who was appointed following Barkley’s departure would not respond as to whether Greene County typically provides loans to county employees.

The reason for the loan was to pay the Virginia Retirement System money owed by Barkley. When hired, Barkley had asked to be excluded from the retirement system and the board had agreed only to learn later that being excluded was not an option. Greene County Finance Director Tracy Morris noticed the error in September of 2013 when it was discovered that Barkley’s lack of enrollment in the system resulted in him not contributing to the pool. Since he had not contributed to the fund by Sept. 23, 2013, conversations to remedy the situation began to take place.

Efforts to contact Barkley were unsuccessful by press time. Councilmember Samantha Crisp commented that she was unaware of the situation surrounding Barkley’s resignation. Current Winslow City Manager Steve Pauken added, “A run of the mill check on Google brought these issues to light, I don’t know that every single council member knew, but I know that at least a few of them did.” Pauken also explained that the City of Winslow Human Resources Director, Dave Coolidge, “Ran a Google search and submitted it to me. I had a conversation with one or two of the council members. It was not discussed in the formal process. It was out there for everybody to determine.”

He continued, “Barkley opted out of the pension plan and the employer agreed and a year later, they discovered that it was not correct to do that. In most states, it is not an option whether or not to contribute to the retirement system.”

As to whether the findings were of concern, Pauken said, “My personal opinion, I’m not speaking for anyone else, is that it was a situation of bad judgement more than anything else. That bad judgement also applies to his employer. They should have had the sense to know that you can’t get out of the state pension system just because you want to.”

Both Crisp and Pauken expressed optimism in working with Barkley. He begins work at the City of Winslow on Dec. 3.