Boston residents complain of delayed mail delivery, sparking concerns ahead of election

By Paul Burton

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Local leaders in Boston are reaching out to the U.S. Postal Service with concerns about mail delivery in some neighborhoods, especially over possible delays with mail-in ballots.

Richard Giordano and his wife, Maggie Cohn, sort their mail carefully. They live on the edge of Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain.

“It’s been bad because my bills are late,” said Giordano.

They are just one of many residences in the city who are complaining about delayed and oftentimes inadequate mail delivery to their homes.

“It’s almost always contains mail not meant for us,” said Cohn. “I will get bank statements that are a year old. And I don’t know where they’ve been.”

Marching with residents in this weekend’s Allston Brighton Parade, City Councilor Henry Santana said he’s filed an emergency hearing to investigate issues concerning the U.S. Postal Service delivery.

“I filed this with Councilors Durkan and Weber and my full intention is to have this hearing because this is an issue that’s very important to our residents,” said Santana. “Get some answers as to why some neighborhoods are receiving their mail on time and why other neighborhoods are not.”

Secretary of State Bill Galvin said he’s concerned about the upcoming election and the more than 1 million Massachusetts voters who plan to vote by mail.

“Many of the citizens I’ve talked to have told me that mail service is terrible, that they’re not getting mail on a regular basis,” said Galvin. “Obviously, we expect that ballot vote to be delivered to them and returned from them.”

The U.S. Postal Service issued a statement concerning mail being delivered in Boston saying, in part, “The Postal Service is aware of a minor employee availability issue last week that we have resolved. Mail service is current and within service performance standards…We are also in the process of recruiting, evaluating and hiring qualified candidates for vacancies in the area with postings on our website.”

But for Giordano and Cohn, who pay their bills by check, a delay in service impacts their daily lives.

“My mortgage payment just got here yesterday, on Saturday. It’s due tomorrow, so it’s a problem,” said Giordano.

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