Press Releases
Dingell Presses US Postal Service on Status of Promised Public Meetings in Ypsilanti/Ypsilanti Township
Washington, DC,
March 20, 2018
U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Megan J. Brennan requesting a full schedule of the monthly public forums the Ypsilanti Post Office committed to holding during a February 22nd town hall with Dingell and local residents. The Post Office pledged to hold the regular meetings as part of an effort to resolve the ongoing and significant mail delivery issues in Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. “As you know, our office has received a substantial number of complaints from the community about mail delivery issues and a lack of responsiveness from the Ypsilanti Post Office to these concerns,” Dingell wrote. “In response, we held a town hall meeting on February 22 to continue a dialogue with the community and explore solutions to these problems. During this meeting, the Ypsilanti Post Office staff made a number of commitments to improve their responsiveness and facilitate better customer service. This included holding monthly forums with residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township so USPS staff can be regularly available to discuss any ongoing mail problems. “It has been approximately one month since USPS made a commitment to residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township to hold regular monthly forums. However, USPS has yet to follow through on their commitment in this regard outside of providing a tentative date at the end of the month for an inaugural meeting. Additionally, USPS staff have been unclear whether these forums will be open to the public at large, and we have received word that USPS will potentially restrict attendance to these events to a preselected community advisory board. “This format goes against the spirit of USPS’s commitment to be more transparent and accountable to the residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, and I am concerned that this decision reflects an ongoing pattern of USPS to avoid accountability for mail delivery issues.” Dingell requested a written response which includes the schedule for regular monthly public forums as well as details on the changes that USPS staff in Ypsilanti will be making to ensure that area residents may swiftly and efficiently report and resolve any mail delivery issues. Dingell has repeatedly pressed the postal service to uphold their commitment to improve mail delivery service in Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township and is committed to holding USPS accountable. The letter can be read here and below. March 20, 2018 Ms. Megan J. Brennan Dear Ms. Brennan, This letter is to request that the United States Postal Service take prompt action to ensure residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township in Michigan have an open line of communication to staff at the Ypsilanti Post Office. As you know, our office has received a substantial number of complaints from the community about mail delivery issues and a lack of responsiveness from the Ypsilanti Post Office to these concerns. In response we held a town hall meeting on February 22 to continue a dialogue with the community and explore solutions to these problems. During this meeting, the Ypsilanti Post Office staff made a number of commitments to improve their responsiveness and facilitate better customer service. This included holding monthly forums with residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township so USPS staff can be regularly available to discuss any ongoing mail problems. These meetings are intended to be widely accessible to the public in order to provide the community with ready access to local USPS employees and help restore the community’s trust in USPS to deliver mail and respond to issues in a timely manner. Since this town hall, we have been made aware of several issues with respect to the proposed monthly forum. It has been approximately one month since USPS made a commitment to residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township to hold regular monthly forums. However, USPS has yet to follow through on their commitment in this regard outside of providing a tentative date at the end of the month for an inaugural meeting. Additionally, USPS staff have been unclear whether these forums will be open to the public at large, and we have received word that USPS will potentially restrict attendance to these events to a preselected community advisory board. This limitation is not what was agreed to when these monthly forums were proposed to the Ypsilanti community and me. This format goes against the spirit of USPS’s commitment to be more transparent and accountable to the residents of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, and I am concerned that this decision reflects an ongoing pattern of USPS to avoid accountability for mail delivery issues. Ypsilanti residents deserve to have prompt and efficient mail service, as well as open lines of communication to USPS in order to address any mail delivery issues that arise. Please provide a written response which includes the schedule for regular monthly forums that will be open to anyone who wishes to attend as well as details on the changes that USPS staff in Ypsilanti will be making to ensure that area residents may swiftly and efficiently report and resolve any mail delivery issues. Thank you and I look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, Debbie Dingell |