CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — After weeks of controversy, Cabarrus County has a new commissioner.
Cabarrus County Clerk of Court Bill Baggs appointed attorney Jeff Jones to the vacant seat.
This comes after Superior Court Judge Steve Warren sided with a group of Cabarrus residents challenging the appointment of Lamarie Austin-Stripling.
Following his appointment to the state senate, outgoing Chairman Chris Measmer called a meeting to appoint his replacement and participated in it despite not yet resigning from the Board. Commissioners Laura Blackwell Lindsey and Larry Pittman voted to appoint Stripling. Measmer voted present, but Cabarrus Commission rules mark all “present” votes as votes in the affirmative.
The meeting was scheduled at a time when one of the commissioners, Lynn Shue, was receiving dialysis treatments. Stripling was endorsed for the seat by the Cabarrus GOP.
In late April, Judge Warren granted a preliminary injunction blocking Stripling from being sworn in as the lawsuit by more than a dozen Cabarrus County residents was considered.
Judge Warren ruled Wednesday that Stripling’s appointment “was invalid and void as a matter of law as the vacancy did not yet exist.” Judge Warren also ordered Cabarrus County to pay nearly $13,000 in attorney fees to the plaintiffs.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs and Cabarrus County consented to the judgment.
According to Cabarrus County, Jones has been an attorney for 34 years. He has mainly practiced financial law. In a news release, Jones said he will work for “transparency and integrity.”
“This county has been really good to me and my family, and I want to do what’s right for the county as a whole,” Jones said. “I want to bring unity. I want to bring a fresh new direction where everybody is working for what’s best for the county.”
According to Cabarrus County, Jones and his wife, Nita, live in Concord. The couple has three adult children, Myers, Helen, and Sam, and one grandchild, Brox. The family owns the Far-Fetched Farm off Old Concord Road where they keep horses, alpacas, and other animals.
VIDEO: Cabarrus County commissioners vote on Measmer’s replacement amid uncertainty
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