Why has Sturgeon Bay mail service been so unreliable recently? Gallagher wants to find out

STURGEON BAY - U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher wants to find out why some residents in and around Sturgeon Bay haven't been getting their mail or are getting it later than expected.

Gallagher held a news conference Friday morning at City Hall to say he's sending a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, asking him to explain why mail service has been unreliable around the city for the past few months and how the U.S. Postal Service expects to solve the problem.

Gallagher, R-Green Bay, said he and his office have reached out to the postal service several times to ask why the delays were happening and how they could be fixed but got no real response, thus the letter to DeJoy.

"We spent months now requesting a briefing from the postal service to hear their plan of action," he said. "Those requests have been met with silence, and it's time to explore additional avenues. … They've had generic responses saying, 'We've received your request,' but nothing that would resemble an actual answer."

Gallagher was joined at the podium by state Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, who said his office has fielded complaints about the inconsistent service since sometime in November, as has the office of Mayor David Ward. Because postal operations fall under the purview of the federal government, Kitchens referred them to Gallagher's office.

Gallagher said he wasn't sure exactly how many complaints have come to his office, that it's more than 20 but fewer than 100. He also said he's recently received a handful of complaints about mail service from other rural northern Wisconsin areas, such as around Peshtigo and northern Marinette County. The congressman said, however, the number of complaints from Sturgeon Bay is still an abnormally high number in a short period of time.

"The fact that we usually don't get complaints like this suggests there is an abnormality," he said. "We just want to find out what that abnormality is."

In his letter to DeJoy, Gallagher wrote that some residents said they've gone as much as three weeks without consistent mail service and some have only received mail four times since the start of the year.

Gallagher also cited an example in the news conference of a veteran who called his office, worried that he wouldn't receive his prescription drug refills by the time he needed them because of the inconsistent service. He and Kitchens also noted that many families rely on the postal service to receive and pay bills in a timely manner.

"That's not just highly concerning. It's completely unacceptable," Gallagher said. "And it's something that shouldn't happen. … Whether it's a veteran who needs his life-saving medication or a mom and dad just trying to pay their bills on time, we rely on the postal service."

Kitchens and Gallagher said representatives from the Sturgeon Bay Post Office did try to provide them with answers to their questions, citing a staffing shortage and several winter storms that struck Door County a couple weeks ago, although there were no weather issues when the problems arose in November and December. Additional workers have been hired for the office, but Gallagher said, "It's time to explore other ways to resolve this issue."

"It's abundantly clear that this is a broader issue that needs to be fixed immediately," he said. "The issue is not new. It's now gone on for multiple months."

Gallagher and Kitchens said they're not at all blaming local postal employees, whether in Sturgeon Bay or elsewhere.

"(They) do an incredible public service for us," Gallagher said. "It's a noble profession. We just want to get this issue fixed."

The focus, he said, is having the U.S. Postal Service figure out why service has become inconsistent and taking steps so residents can once again rely on it.

"Residents here should expect to have their mail delivered on time," Gallagher said. "And as (Kitchens) pointed out, the situation is unacceptable.

"We just don't know enough about the cause. They've told us almost nothing."

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

MORE: DNR asks for comments on variances for Peninsula State Park tower, lighthouse projects

MORE: A classic Door County motel is changing into a contactless, luxury boutique motel

FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Gallagher asks why Sturgeon Bay mail service has been unreliable