According to the author of the book of Nehemiah, Rephaiah was an important leader who helped rebuild part of the city walls of Jerusalem. This shows that everyone, even leaders and important people, played a part in fixing the city.
Nehemiah 3:9: And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3:9 and Genesis 1:1 do not directly relate or contradict each other, as one describes the creation of the world, and the other lists those who worked on the wall.
Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.