Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morrisville introduces new police chief; veterans urge transparency on memorial project
Summary
The council formally introduced Chief Justin Roser, who described his law‑enforcement background and commitment to community engagement. During public comment, veteran Bill Dowitz criticized the town and affiliated foundation for a lack of transparency in a veterans memorial project; residents also raised neighborhood safety and traffic concerns.
Council members welcomed Justin Roser as Morrisville’s new police chief on July 8. Assistant town staff introduced Roser, who started June 23 and said he came to Morrisville after a career that began in 2004 with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and included substantive service at the Apex Police Department, where he rose to captain and handled administrative and training responsibilities.
Chief Roser described his priorities as community engagement and partnership with town staff and residents. "I look forward to getting out and meeting as many people as I possibly can, partnering with you so that we can work together to ensure that we are accomplishing goals," he told council.
During the public comment period earlier in the meeting, veteran Bill Dowitz of VFW Post 7383 and American Legion Post 67 accused the town and a related foundation of secrecy in the conceptual design process for a veterans memorial. Dowitz said veterans were excluded from decision‑making, alleged the foundation did not follow IRS rules and criticized use of the town logo on the foundation website as implying improper endorsement.
Resident Peggy Medlin urged a wooden fence around a pasture to keep people from entering animal areas and criticized narrow Church Street parking that she said makes travel difficult for older residents. Harrison Kesling spoke in favor of the B Local procurement policy and proposed that a future Hamlet development focus on small, pedestrian‑scaled businesses rather than large retailers to reduce traffic.
Council thanked public speakers and acknowledged the concerns raised. No formal response or action on the veterans' accusations was recorded during the meeting; council and staff did note they would continue community engagement on projects and encouraged written comments via the town’s public‑input channel.
