Cabarrus clerk of court says fellow Republicans are behind effort to remove him
Cabarrus County Clerk of Court Bill Baggs says a removal complaint filed against him is the result of a politically motivated effort orchestrated by fellow members of the county Republican Party.
Baggs, a Republican running for reelection this year, told The Charlotte Observer he believes the complaint stems from fallout over last year’s dispute over a vacant Cabarrus County commission seat. Last month a Superior Court judge found probable cause that the complaint — which includes allegations he is unfit to serve — met the legal threshold to proceed and scheduled a removal hearing for just days before the March 3 primary election.
Last year Baggs appointed Republican Jeff Jones to a vacant seat on the Cabarrus County commission after Republican commissioners and the county GOP initially attempted to put a different candidate into the seat. In text messages sent to Baggs obtained by the Observer, Cabarrus GOP secretary Barbara Strang urged Baggs to appoint the party’s preferred candidate to the vacant commission seat.
In one message, Strang, who was not yet a GOP officer, told Baggs she understood he was concerned she might challenge him in a future Republican primary. She added that if Baggs followed the GOP’s recommendation to fill the commission vacancy, she would “make a promise” not to run against him.
“It’s obvious,” Baggs said when asked if he saw the message as a threat. “Even Ray Charles could see that.”
Campaign finance records show Strang now serves as treasurer for one of Baggs’ Republican primary opponents.
“They called me and said if I would appoint their person, that they would not run against me, and I just don’t work like that. I thought I was supposed to represent the citizens of the county,” Baggs said. “They’re doing anything they can do to beat me.”
Baggs is on the ballot for this year’s race and faces two Republican primary competitors, Resa Travis and Ben Cox.
Cabarrus County GOP Chair Jim Quick said the party had no involvement in filing the complaint, which was filed by an individual resident, and that he first learned of it through media reports. However, he said the party is aware of “challenges” in the clerk’s office.
Texts show tension over commission appointment
The political disagreements over the commission vacancy began last year when former commissioner and now state Sen. Chris Measmer was appointed to the General Assembly.
At the time, commissioners voted to fill the seat with LaMarie Austin-Stripling, a member of the Cabarrus GOP executive committee. However, a judge blocked the appointment, saying Measmer could not vote for his own replacement to a seat he had not yet vacated. The county paid $13,000 in attorney fees to a citizens group that sued over the unlawful appointment.
Austin-Stripling did not receive enough votes from commissioners to secure the appointment after Measmer left, sending the decision to Baggs under state law.
Baggs said he chose to appoint Jones because he is more moderate and focused on helping the community rather than partisan politics.
“They want their way. They want to run everything,” Baggs said of GOP leadership. “I knew they were going to run somebody against me, because I didn’t roll over… and I hate to tell you that as much as has gone on, if I had to do it over again, I would do it again.”
Since then, Republicans have changed state law to allow future appointments to vacant seats to be chosen by a political party’s executive committee rather than the commission. The changed process played out in November as the Cabarrus GOP picked Ian Patrick to fill the seat of former commissioner Lynn Shue, who died last year.
Mandoline Helms, who has worked in the clerk’s office for 11 years, told the Observer she thinks Baggs, 81, is a great boss, “sharp as a tack,” and that the complaint against him in court is politically motivated.
Helms was also mentioned in the text messages by Strang, who said she had heard some “rumors” about her.
A Republican herself, Helms said the party is fractured in Cabarrus County.
“They’re all Republicans, but you wouldn’t know that,” Helms said. “You’re all supposed to be for one goal, and you go at each other’s throats, it’s the craziest thing.”
This isn’t the first time the county GOP has had disagreements with elected Republicans. In October, the party censured Concord Mayor Steve Morris, a former county commissioner and Republican who ran for mayor against GOP-backed candidate Lori Clay last year. Current Cabarrus County commissioner Kenny Wortman was elected as a Republican but switched his affiliation to nonpartisan shortly after, saying the party was only “concerned with power.”
Strang disputed Baggs’ characterization of her messages, saying she strongly disagreed that the texts were threatening and that she was just supporting her friend vying for the commission seat. She also said she had long considered running for clerk.
“I had been seriously considering running for clerk and was hearing rumors about very concerning activities inside the clerk’s office,” Strang told the Observer. “If the truth be told, I was seeking information to help me decide whether to run for office.”
Complaint alleges crude conduct, competency concerns
The removal petition, filed Jan. 13 by Cabarrus County resident Keith Fitch, a registered Republican, alleges Baggs engaged in misconduct and lacks the mental or physical capacity to perform the duties of clerk of court.
According to the affidavit, Baggs has lived in an assisted living facility for more than a year, cannot live independently and must be transported to the courthouse. The filing further claims Baggs is frequently absent from the office or present only for limited hours and, at times, does not recognize people he has known or worked with for years.
The complaint also alleges Baggs improperly delegated authority, failed to follow statutory requirements and engaged in a pattern of inappropriate workplace behavior.
That alleged conduct includes the use of demeaning and profane language, particularly toward women, appearance-based insults and making obscene gestures such as giving “the middle finger” in the courthouse.
Superior Court Judge Edwin Wilson Jr. found probable cause that the allegations, if proven, could justify Baggs’ removal. However, Wilson declined to suspend Baggs from office while the case proceeds, writing that there was no immediate or irreparable harm to the public.
Baggs has denied wrongdoing and disputed both the misconduct and incapacity allegations. Baggs went through two rounds of chemotherapy and can no longer use his legs, he said, but he is otherwise in good health. He also moved into an assisted living facility about a year ago after a tree fell through the roof of his home, he said.
The removal hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27, just four days before the March Republican primary. A judge’s decision to remove a clerk from office would not automatically remove that person from the ballot under North Carolina election law.
Quick said the GOP is concerned about Baggs’ ability to fully perform the duties of the office given his health challenges.
“Once it became clear that Mr. Baggs’s longstanding private health situation was limiting his ability to serve vigorously, we began seeking a qualified, experienced individual to pursue the office as our Republican nominee,” Quick said.
Quick noted Baggs’ age and said voters would ultimately determine whether he should continue serving.
“By the end of the next term on December 1, 2030, Mr. Baggs will be (86) years old, and it will be up to the voters to decide whether it is time for him to retire or if he is the right person to lead the office,” he said.
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 4:54 AM.
