ST. CROIX — U.S. Postal Service representatives have declined an invitation to have personnel from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands attend town hall meetings that Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett will hold this week to hear complaints about mail delivery in the territory, suggesting participation would take too much time away from their work duties.
Virgin Islanders will have an opportunity to share their issues and complaints about USPS in writing during two town hall meetings that Plaskett and her staff will hold from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium at Charlotte Amalie High School on St. Thomas and Friday in the Great Hall at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix.
Plaskett indicated in a media advisory issued Tuesday that USPS representatives declined her invitation to participate in the town halls, noting that they are not appearing at any town halls nationwide at this time. She provided additional details in a post she made on her Facebook page on Tuesday as she shared screenshots of email exchanges between her and her staff and USPS representatives.
Plaskett pointed out in her Facebook post that the town halls would be working sessions, noting that stations would be set up to allow her and her team to receive complaints in writing. She indicated that the greater the volume of written complaints and issues she can show the USPS regional office, the better the chances are at receiving a response.
Plaskett noted that an email from C. Scott Canady, USPS Government Relations representative, indicated that USPS data metrics show performance of USPS mail service in the territory was “strong.” Canady wrote that the most recent data available upon inputting ZIP code 00824, which covers P.O. Box deliveries in Christiansted, show that 90.80% of incoming first-class mail was delivered within the applicable service standard and 96.38% was delivered within one day of the service standard. The email noted the data show a “very strong” performance.
Canady wrote that USPS must “respectfully decline” Plaskett’s request for all postal leadership for the Virgin Islands and senior district leadership to be physically present at the town halls. Canady noted that participation of the USPS personnel would be too much time away from their actual duties given the travel demands and the multiday events. He suggested exploring alternatives for a more efficient way to participate, informing the delegate that USPS wants to ensure her constituents have access to information about its operations in the territory. He wrote that additional information on any specific delays or questions about USPS processing plants would be helpful in gathering responses from personnel with authority/responsibility for those operations.
Plaskett, in an email responding to Canady, wrote that she was “very disappointed,” requesting at the very least for postmasters to attend the town halls on the islands on which they live and work. She pointed out the town halls would be held after work hours, suggesting postmasters would have sufficient time to attend. She noted that postal members from Puerto Rico could potentially participate virtually.
“We have had these town halls before and have even included postal inspectors who can explain the process and take complaints from people,” Plaskett wrote to Canady.
Plaskett indicated to Canady that his discussion regarding “strong” performance was somewhat of a disconnect considering an entire work around had to be created a few months ago because packages were issued erroneous ZIP codes that caused them to remain in Cataño, Puerto Rico or sent to Jacksonville, Florida from Puerto Rico before coming to the Virgin Islands.
“In my 10 years in Congress I have learned that regular town halls with the people while it may not solve every problem allows people to be educated as to why things are occurring, explains the budgeting and logistical constraints that may make mail not as quickly as they think and for isolated communities like the Virgin Islands it lets them know they are not forgotten and that what they experience is experienced elsewhere,” Plaskett wrote.
Plaskett asked Canady to reconsider the decision, noting it does not comport with the USPS she has known these last 10 years to work with her office and share information with the people.
Scott Slusher, USPS director of Government Relations and Public Policy, indicated in an email to Plaskett that he reviewed Canady’s correspondence with her office and concurred with his decision to decline participation in the town halls. He wrote that the Postal Service declined to have postal leadership from the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico participate in the town halls to remain consistent with a long-standing policy intended to help USPS ensure that accurate and beneficial information is provided to its customers. With more than 600,000 employees nationwide and most positions focused on providing local service, Slusher wrote that most employees are not in a position to know or to be able to communicate the overall strategy for the postal reform and how it intersects with local service.
As a customer-focused enterprise, Slusher wrote that USPS has devoted significant attention and resources to monitoring service performance and to providing customer service.
“While I understand your interest in congressional town halls, our experience has proven that extraordinary or one-off customer outreach events complicate these efforts, rarely provide any meaningful insights to improve operations, and raise questions about basic fairness,” Slusher wrote. “Instead, the Postal Service relies on a robust program to collect, analyze, and act on service performance issues and customer complaints and questions.”
USPS, an independent federal establishment mandated to be self-financing that is overseen by a bipartisan board of governors, is four years into implementing a 10-year transformation plan to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.
USPS is an organization with unsustainable business and operating models that has experienced annual financial losses in the billions of dollars, unmet service performance goals, and less market relevancy as consumer behaviors have changed, according to the plan. As the Postal Service continues implementing its plan, Delivering for America, it has established clear strategies to quickly achieve financial sustainability. While the 10-year transformation plan’s strategic initiatives are designed to reverse a projected $160 billion in losses over the 10-year period from March 2021 to March 2031, the plan also represents changes and improvements to better serve the public.
As Plaskett prepares to hold the town hall meetings to hear about issues residents have had with mail delivery, the Postal Service has made a change to its operations on St. Thomas with the promotion of a native Virgin Islander to serve as the island’s postmaster.
David Stevens, a career postal worker who joined the Postal Service as a window/distribution clerk in 1987, has risen through the ranks to serve as St. Thomas postmaster, the highest-ranking postmastership in the Virgin Islands.
A native of St. Croix, Stevens advanced within the Postal Service throughout the past 38 years due to his “commitment to service and his strong work ethics,” according to a USPS news release. His other positions included supervisor customer service, manager customer service, and officer in charge.
After being promoted on January 11 to postmaster of St. Thomas, where he manages all five post offices on island, Stevens was scheduled to be officially sworn in during a private ceremony today at Government House on St. Thomas. Carlos Del Toro, USPS Puerto Rico/USVI district manager, was selected to administer the oath of office.
Stevens is recognized for his leadership and dedication to the postal service and to the St. Thomas community, according to USPS. He was promoted in February 2018 to postmaster of St. John and often managed the St. Thomas district until October 2022. In June 2024, he resumed position as officer in charge on St. Thomas.
As the officer in charge, Stevens has worked in several postal operations including Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and Kingshill, St. Croix. His goals as postmaster include enhancing outstanding customer service provided by the sale and service associates at each one of the five St. Thomas post offices and ensuring prompt delivery by the city carriers daily. His tireless efforts and continuous pursuit for excellence serve as an inspiration to all who work with him.
As Stevens climbed to the top of the Postal Service in the Virgin Islands to assume the duties of St. Thomas postmaster, the Postal Service on a national level is going through a leadership change with the recent resignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after nearly five years on the job. Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will lead USPS until its board of governors selects a new postmaster general.
DeJoy, in a USPS statement, said he believes strongly that the organization is well positioned and capable of carrying forward and fully implementing the many strategies and initiatives that comprise its transformation and modernization, adding that he has been working closely with Tulino to prepare for the transition.
“While our management team and the men and women of the Postal Service have established the path toward financial sustainability and high operating performance — and we have instituted enormous beneficial change to what had been an adrift and moribund organization — much work remains that is necessary to sustain our positive trajectory,” DeJoy said in a statement.
