[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4838-4839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MR. CHARLES W. PENNY ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS CITY 
          MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G. K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 24, 2017

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my longtime friend 
and constituent, Mr. Charles W. Penny as he retires at the end of this 
month after serving 35 years in a variety of positions with local 
governments across North Carolina--most recently as Rocky Mount City 
Manager. Charles Penny is a dedicated public servant and very active in 
the City of Rocky Mount.
  A native North Carolinian, Charles Penny was born on December 25, 
1957 in the City of Fayetteville. He and his six siblings were born to 
the late Necho Penny and the former Eva Dell. He attended Ferguson 
Elementary School and Washington Drive Junior High School in 
Fayetteville and is a graduate of historic E. E. Smith High School.
  Mr. Penny attended my alma mater North Carolina Central University in 
Durham, North Carolina where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of 
Arts Degree in Political Science, with a concentration in Public 
Administration. In May 1984, he received a Masters of Public 
Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
where he was the 1980 recipient of the Urban Management Traineeship 
Award.
  In July 1981, Charles Penny began his career in local government in 
Morganton, North Carolina as Assistant to the City Manager. Four years 
later, he assumed a similar position in Kinston. He was appointed 
Assistant City Manager of Asheville, North Carolina in February 1987 
where he served as City Coordinator for the 1988 North Carolina League 
of Municipalities Convention. He and his family then moved to Rocky 
Mount, and he became the Director of Planning and Development. In 
January 1995, he was promoted to Assistant City Manager of Rocky Mount. 
On January 1, 2011, Charles Penny became the first African American 
City Manager for the City of Rocky Mount where he managed an annual 
budget of over $210 million.
  Charles Penny has shown true leadership in his community by improving 
and positively impacting the lives of those who live and work in his 
community. He served as Past Chair of the Board of Trustees at 
Elizabeth City State University. He is the Former Chair of the Board of 
Directors for the Lucy Ann Boddie Brewer Boys and Girls Club in Rocky 
Mount and the American Red Cross in Asheville, North Carolina. He also 
served on the Board of Directors for the Asheville City School 
Foundation, the Metropolitan Sewage District, the Neighborhood Housing 
Services of Asheville, and the Nash Health Care Foundation. Currently, 
Charles Penny is on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mount 
Community Foundation and

[[Page 4839]]

is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.
  Charles Penny is married to the former Edith Allen of Durham, North 
Carolina. They share two children--a daughter, Eva, and a son, Charles. 
They are members of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Rocky Mount where 
Mr. Penny is the former Chairman of the Trustee Ministry and currently 
serves as Co-Chairman of the Deacon Ministry.
  Mr. Speaker, Charles W. Penny has dedicated his entire adult life to 
public service. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
dedication and selflessness displayed by Mr. Penny for over 35 years as 
a public servant in North Carolina. While Charles is deserving of far 
greater accolades from a grateful public, my colleagues in the United 
States House of Representatives join me in expressing our sincere 
appreciation for Charles Penny's hard work and sacrifice.

                          ____________________