Lansdale Enlists Congressional Help in Ongoing Postal Issues

Keith Heffintrayer•

The ongoing saga of problems with the Lansdale Post Office has reached a fever pitch this holiday season, prompting borough officials to enlist congressional support to help rectify the issue.

Both Lansdale Mayor Garry Herbert and Lansdale Borough Manager John Ernst met with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on Dec. 4 to address the myriad complaints from borough residents, as well as those outside of Lansdale who are served by the Lansdale Post Office.

"After several residents expressed their concerns to myself and to the borough manager, we decided to ask a few questions and to engage Congressman Fitzpatrick in a dialogue to help us address the concerns of residents in and around Lansdale,” said Herbert. "Congressman Fitzpatrick’s office immediately picked up the ball, and started asking questions of the local Consumer and Industry Contact (CIC) Manager in Philadelphia, who then spoke with our local postmaster.”

The CIC is part of the Postal Regulatory Commission, which is an independent agency that has regulatory oversight of the United States Postal Service. When complaints at the local level cannot be brought to an amicable resolution, the CIC serves as the next level of consumer protection. In this instance, once the CIC was contacted by Congressman Fitzpatrick, borough officials received a response roughly two weeks later.

That response, however, may not sit well with the many who have made their complaints known.

"According to CIC, they went back about six months in their records to see if there have been any pattern of complaints or data that points to a systemic issue, but the only thing they have been able to find was that on some days, with inclement weather in the recent past, the postal service had to curtail delivery to ensure the safety of their employees. Any mail that was not delivered on those days was allegedly delivered the very next day of delivery.”

Herbert stated that he personally spoke with multiple residents regarding issues with the post office, ranging from erratic delivery times to missing mail. Other complaints, many of which were lodged in the Citizens for the Revitalization of Lansdale Facebook group, include missing or mishandled packages, speeding mail carriers, residents who failed to receive any mail over consecutive days, and more.

"Engaging the congressman was our first step in trying to find the root of the problem,” said Herbert. "The post office is a federal body, and thus under the purview of Congress. After the reply from CIC, John Ernst and I called the postmaster to discuss the issues we have heard about. To date, we have not received a reply. CIC did mention in their reply that we are welcome to call them and explain as new issues arise. My intent is to reach out to CIC and speak with them directly.”

Efforts by North Penn Nowto reach the Lansdale Postmaster, identified as Andrea Cariachilo, have also been unsuccessful, though we have been informed that the complaint review by the CIC is ongoing, and they plan on handling issues as they arise. Herbert urges residents to report complaints in a timely manner, in order to ensure they are fully reviewed.

"I think that residents have—legitimately—experienced issues with mail delivery in our community,” said Herbert. "However, in order for them to be addressed, we will need to follow up with our local postmaster to ensure she is fully aware of the challenges. If anyone is experiencing issues with mail delivery, I encourage them to contact the Lansdale Postmaster—215-412-4983— and keep a record of the complaint. If there is no reply, please reach out to myself via my email ([email protected]) or Congressman Fitzpatrick, and we will reach out to CIC and discuss the issue in a timely manner.”