Ruppersberger requests audit of local Baltimore post offices

TIMONIUM, Md — Congressman Ruppersberger calls for new USPS leadership in Baltimore. Today the congressman issued the following statement after the U.S. Postal Service notified him of a new Postmaster of Baltimore as well as a District Manager of Maryland.

“Changes to the USPS’ local leadership are welcome news. The buck stops at the top: for too long, my constituents have been waging a relentless battle to simply get their mail on time, if at all. Citizens have been going weeks without receiving their mail – including paychecks and prescriptions – only to face hours-long lines and unacceptable customer service when they go to the post office to pick-up backlogged mail in person, said Ruppersberger."

USPS has been facing challenges that has been caused by COVID-19, Congressman Ruppersberger said mail delays began well before the pandemic and has inconvenienced citizens in areas throughout Baltimore.

"The dire situation demands fresh faces and ideas, not more bureaucracy. I welcome our new Maryland District Manager, Lora McLucas, who is known for her no-nonsense approach and focus on the fundamentals. I fully expect Baltimore Postmaster Eric Gilbert, who held the same position less than one year ago, to hit the ground running. I look forward to hearing more about his plans to address the challenges that have only gotten worse in his absence.”

At Congressman Ruppersberger’s request, the USPS’ Inspector General is currently auditing six local post offices such as Dundalk, Essex, Rosedale, Parkville, Middle River and Loch Raven. Results and recommendations are expected next month.

Congressman Kweisi Mfume released a statement:

“The jury is still out on these changes at the Postal service. We don’t just need a new local postmaster; we need a local postmaster with a plan and the full support of the Postmaster General of the United States,” said Representative Kweisi Mfume. “The devil is in the details; the residents of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County need to be assured that their service will improve and having new ideas and a plan based on recommendations from an Inspector General’s audit would be a good start.”

“As I have outlined in my letter to the Inspector General of the Postal Service earlier this year, we need an audit to be completed. That was May 27th… it is now almost October. With those results in hand and a new local postmaster with a plan it is my hope we will have improvements for the people longing for better postal service.I will continue to seek accountability for our postal service management teams. The hard-working women and men toiling on the frontlines during this pandemic should have the sorting machines, routing resources and plans in place to bring back the favorable ratings they once had by giving the people better mail and delivery services,” said Congressman Kweisi Mfume.