Rowan County commissioners appoint Daniel R. Lancaster as interim commissioner

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners voted March 3 to appoint Daniel Rick Lancaster as an interim county commissioner while Commissioner Mike Caskey is on leave.

The move followed a motion by the board chair to nominate Lancaster, introduced to the public at the meeting. The board then voted on the appointment; a commissioner registered opposition during discussion but the motion carried and Lancaster was sworn in at the meeting.

Lancaster, introduced by the chair as having more than 11 years in law enforcement and current work as a Basic Law Enforcement Training coordinator at Rowan–Cabarrus Community College, addressed the board after the oath. “I just appreciate the opportunity. I plan to make sure I’m open here, plan to serve the county the best way I can and best way I see fit,” Lancaster said at the meeting.

The chair described Lancaster’s background to the board: service as a Salisbury police sergeant, work as an undercover narcotics officer with the State Bureau of Investigation, nearly 20 years as a small business owner, and service on the board of Rowan Helping Ministries. Lancaster’s family members were present when he took the oath.

During discussion, one commissioner said the process was abbreviated and that other candidates had not been given the opportunity to present themselves; the commissioner expressed concern about vetting someone who could be in a position to vote on budgets or taxes. The chair replied that the board had discussed temporary replacement and had engaged with potential nominees prior to the meeting.

The board did not record a roll-call vote in the public transcript; the motion was called and passed following the discussion and a public swearing-in at the meeting. The chair administered the oath and Lancaster signed documentation at the bench.

The appointment is explicitly temporary: the chair said Lancaster would serve “until such time as Mike Caskey returns to his post.” The chair earlier said Commissioner Caskey had taken a leave of absence and that the expectation was for him to return the first meeting in September.

Lancaster’s appointment and swearing-in concluded the agenda item; commissioners offered brief remarks of welcome. No additional formal actions relating to Lancaster’s duties or assignments were recorded at the March 3 meeting.

Lancaster’s initial public remarks and the board’s discussion occurred during the agenda item on the interim appointment. Any future changes to Lancaster’s status or formal duties would be reflected in subsequent meeting minutes and agendas.