Post Office Replaces District Manager Of Maryland, Postmaster Of Baltimore, Ruppersberger Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- After months of slow mail deliveries and excruciating waiting lines, Maryland's Postal Service is now under new management.
According to Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), The Postal Service has a new District Manager of Maryland and a new Postmaster of Baltimore.
This new leadership comes amid continued frustrations in the region over a lack of mail service and major delays with mail delivery.
Among them is Parkville resident Kathy Ader who lives off Harford Road. She said you're lucky if you get your mail once or twice a week, if at all. And when it does come, it's always late.
Her message for Baltimore's new Postmaster, is, "help!"
"You know, companies don't wanna hear why I didn't get the bill, that's why I'm late, you know you gotta pay interest and late fees and all that and when you're on a fixed income it's really hard," Ader said.
And Ader is just one of many. The problems with the post offices and mail service have plagued multiple areas across the Baltimore region including Parkville, Essex, Rosedale, Middle River, Loch Raven and Dundalk for over a year.
"It's been a battle day in and day out," said Congressman Ruppersberger in July.
But now, the USPS has swapped out the old management for a new one, in the roles of Maryland's District Manager and Baltimore's Postmaster, replacing Le Gretta Ross-Rawlins with Eric Gilbert.
It's a change that's also being met with some pushback.
"I appreciate the idea of a new postmaster but I want a postmaster with a plan," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.).
Congressman Mfume believes Baltimore's Postmaster can only succeed if the nation's current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is removed.
"I believe we need to get back on track with a different Postmaster General. One that will come in and give the local Postmaster everything that he or she needs," he added.
But Postmaster General DeJoy said USPS is doing its best in the wake of major staffing shortages and a financial crisis.
"There is difficult work that is ahead of us to fix the systemic problems that have plagued the postal service but I am confident that these problems can be solved," DeJoy said in March.
But in the meantime, residents are still hoping and waiting for their mail.
The USPS Inspector General is currently auditing six local post offices (Parkville, Essex, Rosedale, Middle River, Loch Raven and Dundalk) and Congressman Ruppersberger said they expect to see the results and recommendations of the audit next month.