Jeff Jones will fill the role left vacant by former chair Chris Measmer, who was appointed to the North Carolina Senate.
CONCORD, N.C. โ A Cabarrus County attorney was sworn in Tuesday as the newest member of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, filling a vacancy left by former Board Chair Chris Measmer.
Jeff Jones was appointed to the position by Cabarrus County Clerk of Court Bill Baggs after the four remaining commissioners failed to reach a consensus on a replacement within the required 20-day timeframe. Measmer vacated the seat following his appointment to the North Carolina Senate.
“I have complete confidence Jeff will be a great asset to the Board of Commissioners,” Baggs said in a Facebook post.
Jones, who has practiced law for 34 years primarily in financial law, said he was committed to public service following Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
“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.”
He added that he will prioritize “transparency and integrity” in his new role.
Jones and his wife, Nita, reside in Concord with their three adult children and one grandchild. The family owns Far-Fetched Farm on Old Concord Road, where they raise horses, alpacas and other animals.
Jones joins the board as budget discussions continue. County Manager Sean Newton is expected to present the fiscal year 2026 recommended budget on Monday, May 19, with the board typically voting on the budget at its June regular meeting.
The swearing-in also comes a few weeks after a judge granted a group of citizens called Cabarrus Citizens for Government Integrity a preliminary injunction against the board. A superior court filing on April 23 found that an April 10 specially-called meeting of the commissioners saw them vote for a replacement for Measmer, even though he had not yet resigned. The judge found this violated North Carolina state law.
In the April 10 meeting, the commissioners named Lamarie Austin-Stripling to replace Measmer. The Cabarrus County Republican Party had previously recommended her as the nominee to fill Measmer’s role. Austin-Stripling, who is also the county Republican Party’s treasurer, was not named in the suit.
Austin-Stripling shared in a public post on Facebook that “As a Republican, I fully believe in, and support, the Rule of Law and proper procedures,” and that the initial temporary restraining order was not against her personally. She also said she “followed the application process that the other 39 applicants followed” and said four of the plaintiffs were also applicants.
The North Carolina Democratic Party claimed in a statement Wednesday that taxpayers would pay for the legal costs incurred by the previous vote for Austin-Stripling.ย
โChris Measmer suspended the rules to hold a rushed vote with only the most partisan members of the Cabarrus Commission present so that he could illegally cast the tie-breaking vote to appoint the most extreme replacement possible. Following the law is not optional, and itโs unfortunate that the taxpayers of Cabarrus County are forced to pick up the tab for Measmerโs power grab,โ said party spokesperson Dawson McNamara-Bloom.
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