Fired Kenly Town Manager Lands New Job

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Samantha Wullenwaber’s employment history with the Town of Spring Lake and information regarding her departure linked in our story and referenced to CityViewNC.com.

KENLY – Former town manager of Kenly Justine Jones was hired Monday night as the new town manager in Spring Lake, NC. The Spring Lake Board voted 3-to-2 to hire Jones for the position.

Jones

Jones was hired just over four months ago, on June 2, 2022 by the Town of Kenly, only to be fired three months later.

On July 20, the entire full-time Kenly police force, along with two other full-time employees, submitted their resignations. Police Chief Josh Gibson stated at the time, “The new town manager has created an environment I do not feel we can perform our duties and services to the community.”

On July 27, the Kenly town council announced they were hiring an outside firm to investigate the issues with Jones and the town employees. On August 30, Kenly leaders voted 3-to-2 to terminate Jones effective September 2.

WRAL reported that Spring Lake alderman Marvin Lackman was one of the two officials to vote Monday night against hiring Jones. According to WRAL, Lackman wrote on Facebook, “We drew from our past experiences, research, knowledge and gut instincts to come to this decision. We differed on who we thought was the most qualified, but as a board a decision was made.”

According to published reports, Spring Lake has had 12 town managers in the past 15 years, and has been the focus of state audits in 2016 and 2022, and a state investigation in 2009 involving their police force.

Two of the former Spring Lake town managers had ties to Johnston County.

CityViewNC.com reports, “Former Clayton Town Manager Adam Lindsey then came into the position in December 2020 before resigning in March 2021 to become the assistant city manager for the city of Fayetteville. On his heels taking the position that same month was his former colleague Samantha Wullenwaber, who had been the planning director in Clayton.

“On November 1, 2021 I submitted my resignation of my position as the Interim Town Manager to the Town of Spring Lake as a town employee. I gave a 30 day notice per my employment contract with the Town. My last day was December 2, 2021. I began my new position with Mid-Carolina Regional Council on December 3, 2021 as the Director of Local Government Services. One of the many services that Mid-Carolina offers is staffing assistance. In coordination with the Town of Spring Lake and the Local Government Commission; Mid-Carolina, the Local Government Commission and the Town of Spring Lake entered into a interlocal agreement to provide Interim Town Manager Services until the Town could find a replacement. Through that agreement I continued as the Interim Town Manager beginning on December 3, 2021 to provide continuity, consistency and professional management to the town. Again, this was through an agreement with Mid-Carolina Regional Council as the vendor. The contract was not directly with me. I served the staffing need for the town in my role at Mid-Carolina. On March 3, 2022, Mid-Carolina submitted a notice of termination letter to the Town of Spring Lake and the Local Government Commission for Interim Town Manager services effective April 3, 2022. On March 17, 2022 the town chose to terminate the services earlier than the April 3, 2022 date. Thus that was our last day providing Interim Town Manager services to the Town of Spring Lake,” Ms. Wullenwaber said in an Oct. 13, 2022 email.

“Also, when I was the Interim Town Manager, I was the budget officer, finance officer, and an authorized check signor. Once I was no longer a town employee as of December 2, 2021, I became the Deputy Finance Officer and David Erwin of the Local Government Commission became the Finance Officer,” Wullenwaber stated in the email.

After her firing by the Kenly town board earlier this year, Justine Jones released a public statement. “While all related information is certainly a matter of public concern, the allegations made against me were timely and thoroughly vetted by independent sources and there was no such finding of wrongdoing by me or my office. The decision to not communicate the entire story and publicly share the findings of the report is most unfortunate.”

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28 COMMENTS

    • Spring lake was already in a heap of mess before this. Town is broke and stare has taken over finances, I believe.

    • Most people here are commenting on quality of character and work. The only racists are those who spew it first. You accuse others of being the very thing that encompasses you.
      #projection

  4. Praying they do not suffer from her the way so many others have. I just do not understand their vetting process.

  5. I would say that makes Spring Lake Wake’s version of Kenly, but that would be disrespecting Kenly!! SMH

  7. This place blows! Nothing better to do than stalk people and try to ruin their lives. I can’t wait for Kenly to be investigated for the racist hillbilly’s they are!

  9. (Headline) Spring Lake’s former finance director pleads guilty to embezzlement and identity theft. 09/22/2022

    They can really pick them.

  11. This is why I moved from that racist place. Justine Jones, don’t waste your talents or time trying to prove anything to these MAGA hat wearing white nationalists. The facts speak for themselves. These hick towns in this country still think the Confederacy is alive and well.

  13. These comments are hilarious. That explains why Kenly will forever be the bottom feeders of Johnston County.

  14. Usually just John brown bottom feeds but I guess others can too . Un happy pack bags and move north
    Obvious how much she was liked by everyone

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