[Durham INC] Postmaster Mike King

[Myers Sugg]

I would add something else Bill.  If change of mode of delivery is truly required as you say Mr. King states, A) I’d like to see it in writing , and B) I’d want assurances enforcement of this is consistent across the delivery area.  At present under the “required” change of mode “policy” enforcement certainly does not appear to be consistent across Durham.  It’s unfair to name names and pit neighborhoods against another, but there are neighborhoods (even in the same zip code as me 27707) where there isn’t a rural mailbox in site.

Myers

From: TheOcean1 at aol.com [mailto:TheOcean1 at aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 12:06 PM
To: Myers Sugg; inc-list at rtpnet.org
Cc: mike.e.king at usps.gov
Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Postmaster Mike King

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<mailto: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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