[Durham INC] Postmaster Mike King

[TheOcean1 at aol.com]

Hard to  call it a relationship, Myers, but I just got off the phone with 
Mr King (who is  CCed) and will gladly forward his reply to this message back 
to the INC  listserv.
 
Just FYI,  when the 2005-2006 issue came up, I was passing the INC gavel to 
Mike Woodard,  so we have always had two past presidents visiting with each 
new post master...  and there have been a few.
It's my  understanding from our long ago meeting with Postmaster Chris 
Tinkham, that  Postmaster Patrick Harkin was demoted over the issue, and Mr 
Tinkham was quite  willing to work with the neighborhoods. He even committing to 
pay residents  who had been forced to put up rural mailboxes in "porch 
delivered"  neighborhoods.
That's why  Mike Woodard and I have met with all the incoming Postmasters,  
including Dominic Camasso when he replaced Tinkham, and we did so again  
when Mike King took the helm.
 
Unlike all the previous Postmasters, Mr King just told me  that the USPS 
has the right to independently decide to  change the mode of delivery. So I 
asked if he was available to meet with the  InterNeighborhood Council at our 
Nov meeting, and he instantly said he  wasn't available. So I asked if he 
would be available to meet the 4th Tues in  Jan 2012, and he said he wouldn't 
commit to an appointment that far out,  and we'd need to check with him after 
the first.
 
He  explained his unusual response by telling me that his family was more 
important  than any neighborhood, and he has a handicapped daughter who's 
needs come first.  (media is welcome to quote me as to that being virtually 
verbatim) 
 
While  I applaud Mr King's dedication to his family, I think a greater 
dedication to  the neighborhoods is in order, as that is the job that is putting 
food on the  table for his family. Meanwhile, Myers, I would encourage you 
to bring those  letters and those news articles to every INC meeting until 
we can secure a guest  appearance with Mr King.
 
Hopefully we'll eventually arrive at a win/win solution as  we did with Mr 
Tinkham so long ago. One last suggestion for Mr King, check your  own postal 
manual (which is generally not available to the public, but we were  able 
to secure a copy of the appropriate pages). Six years ago, and perhaps it  
has changed in the meantime, it stated that placing a rural mailbox in a porch 
 delivered neighborhood causes the carrier to walk a zig zag route that is 
not  efficient. 
 
The  member neighborhoods of InterNeighborhood Council look forward to your 
reply,  and to meeting you in person, at your earliest convenience. 

Bill Anderson
Past President INC
PS: If those letters are exactly the  same as the letters six years ago, 
they will be cleverly worded to "trick", not  "require", the postal customer 
to change their mode of delivery. And that change  in mode of delivery 
becomes permanent after 30 or 90 days, I can't recall which.  There are still a 
few mailboxes in Northgate Park which look utterly ridiculous. 
I can't speak to whether the postal  manuals have changed in the past half 
dozen years, but I rather doubt Durham's  neighborhoods have reversed how 
they feel about this unconscionable  practice. 
 

 
In a message dated 11/9/2011 10:22:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
andrew.sugg at duke.edu writes:

 
Does anyone here (Bill, how about you?) have a relationship  with the 
acting and now permanent postmaster for Durham, Mike King?  The  ever deceptive 
practice of “we are going to withhold your mail until you erect  a rural 
mailbox and return to send” even though postal regulations don’t allow  this, 
is back in full swing in my neighborhood.  I have a copy of two  letters from 
the post office where this threat is made.  This is for a  new neighbor of 
mine on Echo Road, in Long Meadow.  I still have copies  of the 2005 & 2006 
Herald Sun articles outlining this practice, and how  USPS was going to back 
off, as they didn’t have this authority.  If  anyone has a current 
relationship with the postmaster, please let me  know.  I really want to help this 
homeowner.   

Thanks, 

Myers Sugg 



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