Danbury City Council

Democratic Caucus

For immediate release: Contact: Thomas Saadi: 203-470-0322

tomsaadi@aol.com
March 31, 2011

Council Democrats Oppose Elimination of Downtown Post

Members of the City Council’s Democratic Caucus support the proposed

Resolution before the City Council to urge the Federal Government to maintain a
Downtown U.S. Post Office while stressing that this is not a new issue.

“Months before this was front page news I wrote to the Danbury Post Master
expressing my concern that a reduction in hours of operation and possible closure of the
Main Street Office would have a negative impact on downtown residents, businesses and
senior citizens” said Saadi, who sent the letter to Danbury Post Master Phil Gioia in
October 2010. Saadi, who sent copies of his letter to Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton,
Congressman Chris Murphy and Senator Joseph Lieberman, received a response from
Gioia explaining the need for the reduction in hours but with assurances that "changes at
our Main Street window will not compromise access to skillful postal professions . . .."

“I took the Post Master’s assurances to mean that the reduction in hours was not
the first step toward eliminating a Downtown Post office, unfortunately I was mistaken”
stated Saadi who, along with fellow Council Democrats support steps to reduce costs by
downsizing the Main Street post office but stress that cost reductions should not translate
to eliminating a Downtown U.S. Post Office all together.

In a statement released to local media on March 25th of this year some Council
Democrats said the Postal Service should consider remaining at the Main Street location
while leasing out the majority of the building as commercial space. “Whatever the final
decision, we hope that the postal service will not abandon the building prior to a sale or
lease because, if left empty, it will degrade physically and become an attraction for illegal
conduct as we have seen with other abandon buildings.” Saadi said.

The Postal Service is conducting a survey as part of its process in deciding

whether to eliminate a Downtown U.S. Postal presence. While Council Democrats think
that the survey is a good idea they are concerned that the Postal Service is not reaching
many residents who use the Downtown Post Office. “I don’t live far from Downtown, I
use the Main Street Post Office but did not receive a survey instead I had to get a copy
from a friend who lives on the other side of town” stated Saadi.

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