Selectmen, Some Veterans Upset Over Change In Mokrisky Square Sign

STOUGHTON, MA — A new sign in town has the selectmen demanding an apology from a former member of the board.

Some veterans in Stoughton have expressed outrage over a new black sign at Mokrisky Square, named after Korean War veteran Kenneth Mokrisky. Veteran Mark Hausammann told WBZ that a black sign in memory of his friend Peter Mears was recently taken down. Stoughton Veterans Service Officer Mike Pazyra said that the sign, which notes that Mears was killed in action while serving in Vietnam, was used as a templet to change the Mokrisky Square sign from blue to black. The only problem is that the new sign says Mokrisky was killed in action, which he was not.

Pazyra said, Kenneth Mokrisky’s nephew, former selectman Joe Mokrisky, told the DPW to remove both signs, change his uncle's sign, and return them. The former selectman has denied the accusation, telling the news station that he asked for a black sign, not one that said "Killed in Action." He blamed the issue on a manufacturing error.

The Stoughton Board of Selectmen, however, told their former board member that they conducted an executive session to investigate potential charges of criminal misconduct and to consider the filing of criminal complaints concerning the allegations.

"The board's unanimous concern is three-fold: your alleged improper conduct as a selectman, the potential criminal implication of the alleged conduct, and the monetary/personal costs incurred by the town concerning these activities," a letter from the board to Mokrisky read.

The board voted to request that Mokrisky issue a public apology and reimburse the town the cost of the work, which is $74.07.

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