[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING MAYOR WILSON ``EDDIE'' BARBER OF EMERALD ISLE, NORTH 
                                CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY F. MURPHY

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 1, 2021

  Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
a devoted public servant in our community who will retire at the end of 
this year, Mayor Wilson ``Eddie'' Barber of Emerald Isle, North 
Carolina. A selfless and dedicated minister and town Mayor, Mr. Barber 
has been in the service of others for the past 40 years.
  Beginning in 1969, Mayor Barber commenced his service as a minister 
performing services throughout eastern North Carolina until 2015. 
Nearing the end of his ministerial years, Mayor Barber soon devoted his 
career to public service, where he served as a member on the Emerald 
Isle Land Use Steering Committee and Emerald Isle Planning Board from 
2004 until 2013. Concurrently, from 2009 until 2013, he served as Vice-
Chair of the Planning Board. During this time, Mayor Barber was a 
tenured and established public servant with many accomplishments under 
his belt and a name recognized by everyone in Emerald Isle.
  After years of civil service on municipal boards and committees, 
Mayor Barber was elected Mayor of Emerald Isle in 2013 and re-elected 
in 2017. Currently, Mayor Barber is a member of the Carteret County 
Tourism Development Authority, and was the past Chair of the Down East 
RPO, and past Chair Person of the Crystal Coast Mayors Association. He 
has also been involved with the Emerald Isle Business Association, Hope 
for the Warriors, and served on the Board of Directors of Methodist 
University. As a tenured mayor, Mayor Barber was able to allocate $37 
Million towards beach re-nourishment initiatives at no expense to tax 
payers. He and the board also made sure to work closely and diligently 
to keep Emerald Isle's reputation as a welcoming and family friendly 
beach town. This was all accomplished through several hardships that 
struck the community such as Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Dorian, and 
the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the retirement of this 
incredible and noble man and wishing Mayor Eddie Barber a happy 
retirement from his life of public service.

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