R.C.'s Jessica Bargsley: Good with numbers; great with people

More than 14 years after his unexpected death in 2012, Jimmie O. Huffman remains a legend in Rutherford College.

He served as mayor of the small central Burke municipality for nearly three decades, always exercising a quiet but steady hand on the rudder of town government.

His decisions were made with thoughtfulness and with care and his first priority on any decision was whether it was good for Rutherford College residents.

One of those decisions came in 2008 when he decided to hire a young woman with no governmental experience to be the new town clerk.

That woman was Jessica Bargsley.

To say that she grew into her job is an understatement. As town clerk she exceeded every possible expectation and was quickly promoted to the dual role of town clerk and financial officer.

Four years ago, she was promoted to the dual role of town manager and finance officer. Not bad for a woman whose original degree was in Medical Office Administration at Western Piedmont Community College.

Along the way, she picked up another associate’s degree in accounting and holds certificates from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and the N.C. Association of Municipal Clerks.

She frequently completes courses at the School of Government in Chapel Hill to remain up to date on the ever-changing, myriad aspects of municipal policy.

Jessica and a Paper reporter sit down to chat about her life and career in her spacious, comfortable office in Town Hall. Shelf and wall space are filled with certificates, degrees, awards, and most importantly, family photos.

Earlier that day, the town had hosted its “Story Time in the Park” at the adjacent town greenway, and Jessica was out in blistering July heat — a heat relieved by a good squirt for her and the kids from a Lovelady Fire Department tanker.

“Lord, don’t take my picture,” she said. “I’m looking pretty basic here.”

The picture-taking safely postponed, Jessica talked about her roots in Rutherford College and her joy in being its town manager.

Although reared on Mineral Springs Mountain, south of Valdese, her grandparents, J.L. and Bennie Rector, were longtime town residents, and she grew up attending Abernethy Memorial United Methodist Church, which is next door to Town Hall.

She graduated from East Burke High School in 2001, and although the visiting reporter called her name when she walked across the stage on graduation day, she never had a class with him while he was teaching there.

That graduation came just before the nation dropped into the Great Recession and that recession was still putting a damper on the job market when she received her first degree from WPCC.

“I was working at the Family Food Mart down on the corner of Malcolm and Hwy. 70,” she remembered. “I worked full time the whole time I was at WPCC. I learned a lot about responsibility and dealing with people working there. It forced me to grow a backbone at a very young age.”

One day, a customer came to the store who knew Jessica was looking for something more challenging. “You should go down to the Town Hall,” she told Jessica. “They need a new town clerk.”

Jessica met with Huffman that same afternoon and soon after she became a municipal employee.

“It wasn’t as if no one knew me,” she recalled. “As I said my grandparents were here and I’ve really got family all over.”

At the beginning of her municipal career, Jessica had to adjust to the slower pace of spending most of her day behind a computer.

“But I’ve always had a niche for numbers,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed being able to find the balance between what our town wants to do and what it can afford to do without putting an undue strain on our taxpayers.”

Over the past 18 years, Jessica said she has been fortunate to work with mayors and council members genuinely interested in the town’s welfare and who have let her do her professional duties without attempting to micromanage her.

“Just good people, committed people,” she said of the town’s elected officials. “I love providing them with the information they need to make informed decisions about the town’s finances and its future.”

As to what that future will bring, Jessica said, “We don’t have a whole lot of room to grow, either residentially or commercially. People like the small-town feel we have, where most homes are set on large lots and folks aren’t right on top of each other.

“I know that we will get younger,” she continued. “Younger families will be coming into existing houses, and some new housing will be built. But we want to always maintain that precious quality of life that we share.”

So, what does Jessica enjoy about being manager of the town where she basically grew up?

“I love this community,” she answered. “I love the things we do, like the Story Times, and the Founders’ Day Festival, and the Christmas parade that just really make it feel like home.

“I have a great staff,” she continued, “and the fact that they make my job easy. And I’m still happy digging into numbers for the council and making sure they are as well informed as they can be.”

Jessica’s life isn’t all about work, of course. She and her husband, Jason Bargsley, have two sons, Garrett, 22, and Rylan, 18, and they love spending time together as a family, particularly vacationing on Oak Island whenever possible.

Jason owns his own business, Superior Solutions, which specializes in construction and home repairs.

Son Garrett has just completed Basic Law Enforcement Training and is now a road deputy with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, while son Rylan is about to enter Lenoir-Rhyne University, working toward a degree in finance.

Both Jessica and Jason are involved in their church, Fairbrook Baptist, where she is a Sunday School teacher and he a deacon.

“We’re just enjoying life right now,” she concluded. “We are very blessed.”