Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson holds townhall on Dallas Postal Operations

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was joined by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, State Senator Royce West and representatives from the United States Postal Service (USPS) for a townhall on proposed changes to mail processing in North Texas this evening. More than 200 people attended the townhall, which Congresswoman Johnson organized in response to concerns about a USPS study that recommended moving outgoing mail processing operations from the Dallas Main Post Office to a postal facility in Coppell, TX.

“I have been contacted by a diverse group of Dallas constituents, business owners, postal service employees and government officials, all of whom are concerned about the consequences of a transfer of postal service operations to a city more than 30 miles away from Dallas,” Congresswoman Johnson said in her opening remarks. “I have shared these concerns with the Postmaster General, the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“Furthermore, it has grown increasingly clear to me that there are many residents of the 30th Congressional District of Texas who do not feel well-informed on the nature of the proposed changes,” Congresswoman Johnson continued. “I hope that this townhall enables more people to understand what is actually going on.”

After Congresswoman Johnson opened the townhall, Mayor Leppert spoke. Other speakers included Tim Vierling, USPS Senior Plant Manager, and State Senator West. Editor of DallasSouthNews.org Shawn Williams moderated the question-and-answer portion of the townhall. Wilmer Mayor Jeff Steele was also in attendance, as were Reginald Gates, President of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce and Wendy Hodges-Kent and Wade Emmert of Best Southwest.

U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.