3 Cabarrus commissioners suspend rules for swift, disputed board replacement
.png "Cabarrus commissioners vote Thursday to pick LaMarie Stripling to a seat currently held by Chris Measmer, who expects to be appointed to a seat in the North Carolina Senate. The vote was 3-0, with Measmer voting “present” but counted amoong those voting “yes.”")
The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners on Thursday preemptively picked a replacement to the seat held by Chair Chris Measmer.
Measmer is expected to vacate his county commission seat for a spot in the North Carolina Senate.
The commission, which just reached quorum with three members present, unanimously voted to appoint LaMarie Austin-Stripling, the treasurer of the Cabarrus County Republican Party, out of 40 applicants. The process was considered unusual by some because the meeting occurred less than 72 hours after Measmer announced he would soon resign. Measmer also counted toward the quorum and voted on his own replacement.
Commissioners Laura Lindsey and Larry Pittman each voted for Austin-Stripling. Measmer voted present, which counts as an affirmative vote for Austin-Stripling. The three have voted in agreement with each other on numerous personnel issues in recent months, including the firing of former County Manager Mike Downs and former County Attorney Richard Koch and the hiring of their replacements.
Commissioners Kenny Wortman and Lynn Shue, who tend to vote against Measmer, were absent from the meeting. Shue, who has received dialysis since 2023, said he thinks the 8:15 a.m. meeting was intentionally scheduled early to exclude him from attending. Shue also told The Charlotte Observer he did not believe Measmer could vote for his own replacement. But Shue said he expected Pittman and Lindsey’s choice to prevail over Wortman in his absence.
“It’s all shady and makes the political situation for local government in Cabarrus County look bad,” he said. “They’re acting on behalf of themselves, and they’re not including the board.”
County Attorney Daniel Peterson said at the meeting it’s legal for Measmer to sit on the board until he is sworn into the N.C. Senate, and that he should be allowed to vote for his own replacement.
“As long as a member is still a member, he has a statutory duty to vote on all matters in which he does not have a direct financial interest and other statute specific statutory exceptions,” Peterson said. “I will note that a failure to vote is a vote in the affirmative under this board’s rules and under state law.”
Another concern was the short time frame for people to apply for the position. The commission’s adopted rules and procedures require applications to be submitted to the clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday preceding the vote.
But the announcement of Measmer’s departure came Monday, and the appointment occurred Thursday. So there was no such Friday.
Before voting on a replacement, the three commissioners passed a motion to suspend this rule, citing an issue with the ranked-choice procedure it outlines. Instead, they followed the board’s standard voting process which calls for nominations, discussion and written ballots.
Who is LaMarie Austin-Stripling?
Austin-Stripling is the treasurer of the Cabarrus GOP and was recommended for the seat by the party’s executive committee, Pittman said.
Austin-Stripling is from Hawaii and has lived in Concord for 24 years, according to a Facebook post by the Cabarrus GOP. She has expertise in legal project management, finance, behavioral healthcare and veteran services, the post states.
She will be the first Black woman to serve on the board of commissioners.
“During the public comment period, the citizens of Cabarrus County repeatedly expressed their frustration that the current commission board doesn’t adequately reflect their community,” the Facebook post states. “We are honored to recommend an African American woman who is passionate about professional development and community engagement.”
According to her LinkedIn, Austin-Stripling is a project manager at distribution company Westrock Coffee. She also served as an administrative assistant at the Cabarrus County Veterans Services office from 2004-2007. She graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2007 with degrees in English and communications.
Austin-Stripling is a registered Republican, but in 2008 voted in the Democratic primary, according to state voting records. She was featured in a 2024 MSNBC panel about mixed-race voters where she said she did not feel any kinship with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Facebook, Austin-Stripling regularly posts updates and comments about the Cabarrus GOP and its work.
Austin-Stripling is the chair of the Concord United committee and serves on the Logan Economic Development Committee, Lindsey said. She has also served on the Leadership Cabarrus Alumni Association Steering Committee.
“(She’s) absolutely an amazing person,” Lindsey said at the meeting. “I wholeheartedly think that she is going to do a fantastic job up here with us, and I certainly look forward to serving with her.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM.
