SALISBURY — Daniel Lancaster is the newest member of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners after being sworn in during the meeting on Monday. Lancaster will be on the board in an interim role, filling the seat of Mike Caskey, who has been deployed to the Middle East with the N.C. National Guard, until Caskey’s return.

The appointment of Lancaster was approved three to one by the commissioners on Monday, with Board Chairman Greg Edds, Vice-Chairman Jim Greene and Commissioner Judy Klusman voting yes and Commissioner Craig Pierce voting against.

Lancaster, a Republican, is a former member of the Salisbury Police Department, having served with the department for 11 years. He is currently a law enforcement training coordinator with the community college system and owns a landscaping business. Lancaster also serves as a member of the Rowan Helping Ministries Board of Directors.

All of Lancaster’s experience and his history of community service made Lancaster a solid choice to temporarily fill the seat, said Edds.

Pierce, however, said that he voted against the appointment of Lancaster for several reasons, with the main reason being that he felt the commissioners had not done enough due diligence. He said that while he did not doubt that Lancaster was a good person and might make for a good commissioner, he felt that they should have spent more time and that he could think of several “more qualified” candidates that were recommended to him. He added that Lancaster would vote on the budget, making the appointment an important decision.

Lancaster was sworn in surrounded by his wife and kids after the vote. After he was sworn in, Lancaster said that he would work to be “open-eared and serve the county the best I can.”

Greene and Klusman both congratulated Lancaster after he took the oath of office. Klusman said that she had the opportunity to interview Lancaster for the role during the prior week and felt that he was an “incredible and well-rounded candidate” who would listen to county residents, learn from them and serve them well.

Caskey is expected back in Rowan County in early September, said Edds. When Caskey has returned and is able to fully return to the role, he will retake his seat on the board and serve the remainder of the term, which extends through the end of 2028.

Edds said that the commissioners began looking into appointing an interim due to quorum concerns, pointing to a meeting in October when Caskey had been deployed and both commissioners Judy Klusman and Craig Pierce were going to be unable to attend due to health issues. In order for the commissioners to be able to achieve a quorum and officially make decisions, Pierce attended the meeting and pushed through.

A longer story on the appointment of Lancaster will appear in a future edition of the Salisbury Post.