Featured photo: Winston-Salem’s Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney (photo courtesy of the town of Carrboro’s website)

After seven years of working for the city of Winston-Salem and 17 years with Forsyth County, Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney is leaving to become the town manager of Carrboro.

In a press release from the town, Toney said, “Accepting the role as town manager of Carrboro is truly an honor.” She added that she looks forward to “providing leadership in carrying out the progressive policies and program directives of the mayor and town council, while being responsive to the needs of the residents of Carrboro.” 

When Toney starts her new role as Carrboro’s town manager on May 6, she will coordinate the town’s day-to-day operations and administration of about 200 employees, as well as an annual total budget of $81 million. Her new salary will be $195,000. In Winston-Salem, she made a little more than $163,000. Current Winston-Salem City Manager Pat Pate makes $285,000.

TCB reached out to Toney for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 

Toney’s departure comes after July’s contentious hiring of Manassas, VA’s Pate as city manager, a role Toney and fellow Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe were also vying for. Toney served as the interim city manager in Winston-Salem from August until Pate’s arrival in November. The city council’s 5-3 decision to hire Pate was met with displeasure from several local organizations, including the Winston-Salem NAACP and Ministers’ Conference and Vicinity.

The decision even influenced election endorsements, with the Ministers’ Conference Bishop Todd Fulton shifting his support from Mayor Pro Tempore and North Ward Councilmember Denise D. Adams — who voted to instate Pate instead of Toney — to council hopeful Eunice Campbell.

“The community saw an opportunity to make history, and what she did, in my opinion, is shatter the vision of young African-American females to have a dream that one day they can be at the top leadership tier in government,” Fulton said. Adams ultimately won the Democratic primary election. 

In her role as assistant city manager, Toney supervised the fire, police, emergency management, housing development, neighborhood services and human relations departments. She helped spearhead several initiatives, including the creation of the BEAR Team, the city’s alternative to law enforcement involvement in mental-health related calls.

Carrboro’s previous town manager was Richard White, who left in November to become Salisbury’s deputy city manager.

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