Warsaw mayor sounds alarm on town governance, cites intimidation

The new police chief says a marked unit followed the mayor for safety

WARSAW — In an exclusive interview with Duplin Journal, Warsaw Mayor Wesley Boykin described deep, systemic problems in the Town of Warsaw that he says “go far beyond the capacity of any single elected official to fix.”

Boykin said he has been denied basic resources necessary to perform his duties and subjected to conduct he believes raises concerns about ethics, safety and transparency within the town government. Boykin said Town Manager Lea Turner reassigned his office to an exterior space shortly before he was sworn in. Traditionally, the mayor’s office had been located inside the town hall for more than two decades. Citing personal safety concerns, Boykin said he has not moved into the new location after experiencing what he believes were acts of intimidation.

“The manager told me that we have a camera in the hallway. I said, Lea, what good is a camera if someone walks in the door from the outside, throws rocks at me, or for God’s sake, shoots me — and all you can say is we got it on camera,” Boykin explained. He said he was not provided a building key or access to a town vehicle, as had been customary.

The mayor’s concerns were echoed by residents such as Marzella Morrisey, who at the January board meeting questioned access to elected officials. She said she attempted to contact Boykin but could not find a phone number or email address listed on the town’s website and when she visited the mayor’s office she realized it had been moved.

“When did the town, the town commissioners, or the town need to remove the mayor from the main office and have him located in the lobby area?” Morrisey asked. “When I came to the office that day, I found out that the chamber was being moved from where the chamber had been for the last 25 years, and I say 25 years because I returned to Warsaw 25 years ago.”

Morrisey also questioned the reasoning for relocating the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce inside the town hall.

“The Warsaw Chamber is a private entity. It should not be in the town hall. The chamber acquires businesses for the town and it should not — that’s a conflict of interest and for better business practices they should be removed from our town hall immediately,” she said.

Another resident, who requested anonymity, told Duplin Journal she is concerned that citizens cannot reach the mayor when they have issues.

Boykin told Duplin Journal he relied on the Chamber of Commerce for building access.

“They allowed me to go in to conduct a meeting in the building. But whenever I had a meeting with the chamber, I had to wait outside and yell up there for them to come, let me in,” Boykin said. He eventually received a building access card from the former interim chief of police but as of Monday he did not have a key to his office.

Boykin also described resistance in his attempts to engage with local officials, noting that of the five county commissioners he contacted, only Ebony Willis-Wells and Cheryl Smith acknowledged his request.

The new mayor told Duplin Journal that the town’s annual audit submitted to the North Carolina Local Government Commission contains identified violations. He said he was contacted by a representative from the commission and urged the town manager to disclose the findings. Boykin said he supports a forensic audit but does not believe the current board would approve one.

Boykin said he has experienced what he believes to be intimidation since before the election, including being followed by law enforcement vehicles and stopped under questionable circumstances.

Police Chief Darius Bentley addressed these concerns during the board meeting, and said he was told a marked police unit followed Boykin for his safety.

“They wanted whoever the individuals were with the perceived threat to see law enforcement actually following you so that it could be a crime deterrent,” he explained.

Boykin said he wished he had been informed of that purpose at the time.

Also during the meeting, the new chief acknowledged that trailing or following individuals can create a negative perception of law enforcement. He said the department is working to change its culture so officers are seen as trustworthy and committed to fairness and public safety.

Despite challenges, Boykin said he will continue to rely on transparency, public disclosure and outside oversight to push for change.