Steve Mensing, Editor with Rowan County Commissioner Mike Caskey running for re-election.
♦ The primaries are underway and our Rowan County citizens are already showing up at the polls. There’s much popular support for incumbent county commissioners Craig Pierce and Mike Caskey who served admirably in office. The Rowan Free Press supports both of these commissioners in their re-election bids. This morning we’re going to interview Commissioner Mike Caskey who accomplished much during his first two terms in office.
Steve Mensing: Mike, glad you could take time from your non-stop activies as a county commissioner, Charlotte policeman, campaigning all over Rowan County, and being a family man.
Mike Caskey: Thank you for the opportunity to talk about our County, Steve.
Steve Mensing: Okay, let’s get down to it. What are some of your strongest motivations to return to the Rowan County Commission for a second term?
Mike Caskey: First I enjoyed my time serving the citizens of Rowan County and would like to continue finding ways to make their lives and the county better. Our county specifically and the country in general has gone through some tough times over the last 5-10 years. Our government can have a great influence on people’s lives though its laws and regulations as well as its actions. Sometimes even its inaction. I believe the county government should be as small as possible while providing the services required by the citizens. That being said, I believe our county is positioned to blast off economically over the next four years and I would like to be part of the team that will chart our future.
Steve Mensing: It appears public safety is an area drawing a fair amount of your attention as a Commissioner.
Mike Caskey: Being a police officer and a long time board member of Enochville Volunteer Fire Department, I find public safety an area where I have much experience. Because Public Safety is close to one-fifth of the county budget, it’s vital we pay close attention to what we’re spending on it. I believe we’ve been able to make some major improvements in Public Safety over the last few years. We have added four additional Deputy Sheriffs patrolling our county roads. We are currently in the process of adding a new EMS station in the Rockwell area. Having a new station in this underserviced area will allow the other ambulances around the county to stay in their current zones more often. We’ve been working with the Rescue Squad to upgrade some dated equipment. We also have a new contract with the Volunteer Fire Departments which will give the County and the departments a better understanding what each expects from the other.
Steve Mensing: Okay switching gears here. You focused a lot about Veterans Services in your first term. A lot was accomplished.
Mike Caskey: Yes, Veteran services has a special place in my heart. I believe it is impossible to repay those who have given so much of themselves selflessly to our country. Three years ago we had only one Veteran Service Officer working in a small cramped office. We now have two fulltime Veteran Service Officers and a one fulltime administrative assistant. We moved them to different offices that provide enough room and privacy for our Veteran clients. Lastly we moved the department from under the county manager to under a director having the proper time to oversee the department. Incidentally this director is a retired active duty Army Master Sergeant.
Steve Mensing: How is the current relationship between the County Commission and the Rowan-Salisbury School Board?
Mike Caskey: Good question Steve. The relationship between the two boards was rocky for decades it seems. I think we currently have a good working relationship with the school board which is a dramatic change over just a few years ago when it reached an all time low. This was when the school board threatened to sue the county. We are now able to talk civilly with each other on a regular basis and I believe we’ve built some measure of trust. The school board is willing to work with us and does not send us budgets that everyone knows from the outset could never be met. Because of this when they asked us for funds that they said would be used for teacher supplements we were able to allocate $800,000 to increase their current expense funding in the last year’s budget. We still have some important issues we need to work on with the School Board and trust will be important in getting these things accomplished.
Steve Mensing: What are some key items the county will need to work on over the next few years?
Mike Caskey: Generally speaking we still have several important issues to tackle over the next few years. Economic development is probably the most important because it is the key to funding those things we would like to do for our citizens. We are working toward developing the I-85 corridor with county water and sewer. We would also like to work with the Rowan Cabarrus Community College and the Rowan Salisbury School System to strengthen our work force through education and training. To help accomplish this we could use some of the flex space in the West End Plaza to create areas for training and education. Another area of interest is partnering with developers to create site ready areas for building manufacturing facilities. And always we continue to work to streamline the building inspection process. We also plan to continue the progress we have made at the Rowan County Airport.
Steve Mensing: Mike, I appreciate you responding to our request for an interview. Good luck on Monday.
Mike Caskey: Thanks for asking Steve.
