SCHUMER DEMANDS U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PUBLICLY RELEASE RESULTS OF RECENT INVESTIGATION IN LARCHMONT, INCLUDING ALL MAIL DELINQUENCIES & RECOMMENDATIONS, IMMEDIATELY HOLD A PUBLIC COMMUNITY MEETING WITH RESIDENTS AND OFFICIALS AND LAY OUT A CLEAN PLAN TO IMPROVE SERVICE; SENATOR SAYS HE WILL FIGHT TO FIX INTERMINABLE MAIL MESS; WESTCHESTER RESIDENTS DESERVE ANSWERS AND CONSISTENCY
For Months Larchmont, And Now New Rochelle And Other Surrounding Communities, Have Suffered From Shoddy and Sporadic Mail Delivery – Or Worse, No Mail Delivery At All, Leaving Frustrated Residents And Business Owners Empty Handed
Senator Says Post Office Has Failed To Deliver Bills, Passports, Medications And Other Critical Mail Residents and Small Businesses Desperately Need
Schumer: Enough is Enough – It’s Time for USPS to Fix This Mail-Practice
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today lambasted the United States Postal Service (USPS) for shoddy service in Larchmont and surrounding communities and demanded they immediately release their audit report of Larchmont’s postal operations in a public meeting, and that they set forth a specific plan to immediately improve the sub-par service. Schumer said residents in Larchmont and surrounding communities have suffered from sporadic mail delivery, leaving them without important correspondence like bills, passports and other items. Schumer said that while the USPS performed their own “top to bottom review” this report has not been shared with the local community -- and it is clear that the problem has not been remediated. Thus, Schumer says, it is imperative for USPS to immediately and publicly release all of the findings from their audit, including their recommendations for improvement, and a status update indicating where they currently are on adhering to those recommendations. Pushing further, Schumer demanded the USPS regional office to hold a community meeting with residents to explain the review and to set forth a specific plan on how they will fix the shoddy service issues and improve service in the area. Schumer said residents deserve answers and that USPS must step up to the plate to address their concerns.
“When Benjamin Franklin created the United States postal system in 1775, he had a simple idea, put a stamp on a letter, put it in a mailbox and the letter would be delivered to the recipient. Somehow the Larchmont Post Office had a different idea. It is simply mail-practice that for over a year residents in Larchmont, and now New Rochelle, continue to have shoddy service problems getting their medications, bills, passports and other critical items in the mail. That is why I am calling on the U.S Post Office to immediately hold a public community meeting with residents within the next 30 days to explain the findings of their recently concluded review, hear additional feedback, articulate a mail-delivery improvement plan and discuss the ways USPS is working to improve service delivery for Larchmont,” said Senator Schumer.
Schumer said residents of the Village of Larchmont, NY have experienced widespread inconsistent postal delivery service, ranging from irregular delivery to no delivery at all, to mail delivered to alternative receptacles, such as garages. Schumer said the inconsistent mail service has had negative effects on many residents in Larchmont, and more recently in New Rochelle and other surrounding communities, which have been subject to late fees for bills they have never received or for payments that were never delivered. Numerous residents felt that they were the only people who were affected by these issues. However, after several community members posted on social media about their mail woes, residents discovered these problems were systematic and contacted his office for assistance. Schumer noted the ongoing work of his partner, Representative Eliot Engel, and vowed to work with him and other stakeholders and community leaders to address the issue.
“From Larchmont to Scarsdale, New Rochelle to Yonkers and all throughout Westchester County, systemic issues have plagued our post office branches," said Congressman Eliot Engel. "Beginning in March, my office has continually demanded, in multiple conversations with postal officials, that mail service improve for Westchester residents. And though in some instances we’ve seen minor, temporary improvement, clearly more must be done. Every day we receive new complaints, ranging from mail not being delivered in a timely fashion, to no delivery at all. One report found mail being thrown away in a dumpster behind one of the post offices. I immediately contacted postal officials regarding the report, and they subsequently opened an investigation. Overall, these problems are not unique to one neighborhood and must be dealt with at the highest level. In conjunction with my colleague Senator Schumer, I will continue to push for greater oversight of the post offices in Westchester and together we will stay on top of the situation until it is fixed.”
Schumer said the Larchmont post office’s inability to deliver mail promptly and correctly must be addressed with all due speed. Schumer stated, over four months ago, USPS was made aware of how widespread the mail issue had become, and as a result USPS reported that it was conducting a “top-to-bottom review” of postal operations in Larchmont to “ensure that every effort was being made to meet customers’ expectations.” Unfortunately, according to Schumer, months later, problems are still pervasive leaving residents in Larchmont, New Rochelle and surrounding areas without access to consistent mail deliveries.
Schumer said USPS must share the results from the review of Larchmont postal operations. “It is critical for residents and business owners that all findings immediately be made public, and that USPS hold a public meeting with residents within the next 30 days to explain the findings of the review, address community concerns, and discuss the ways USPS is working to improve service delivery for Larchmont,” added Schumer.
Schumer was joined by Larchmont Mayor, Lorraine Walsh, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson, and Larchmont resident Olga Orgielewivz.
“We are deeply appreciative that Senator Schumer is lending his voice to this important issue that has been plaguing Larchmont for far too long. The residents of our community deserve the mail that they are entitled to and should not have important items like bills, paychecks, passport and other valuable items lost or delayed in transit due to internal problems at the United States Postal Service. I look forward to working collaboratively with Senator Schumer to ensure that the residents of Larchmont are getting the service that they deserve,” said Lorraine Walsh, Larchmont Mayor.
“The Town of Mamaroneck appreciates Senator Schumer’s attention to the mail delivery problems our residents have experienced,” said Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson.
Schumer’s push for increased transparency comes on the heels of years of frustration and complaints by Larchmont residents. Schumer said current Larchmont mail operations stand in stark contrast to the very mission of USPS. USPS’s motto suggests that delivering high-quality service and providing excellent customer experiences are absolute top priorities but they continue to fall short in Larchmont.
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