Norton and D.C. Postmaster Announce Return of D.C. Postmark (12/18/07)

Washington, DC-At a press conference today at the North Capitol Station Post Office with D.C. Postmaster Yverne P. Moore, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced the return of the Washington, D.C. postmark in time for its use on holiday mail. Norton, a member of the Postal Service Subcommittee, met with Postal officials to get agreement for the use of the D.C. postmark at the Gaithersburg postal center, where D.C. mail has been processed since the anthrax attack in the Senate and the House and the deaths of two postal employees at the Joseph P. Curseen Jr. and Thomas L. Morris Jr. Center (formally the Brentwood Post Office).

Norton said that as the District nears the prospect of its first full House vote, this is not the time "to lose one part of our unique identity as a world capital and hometown to 600,000 residents. We are pleased to reclaim our postmark today for residents, for others who use our mailing address, and for tourists who visit the city and send mail home with the Washington, D.C. postmark as a souvenir of their visit here.

"Norton thanked Postmaster Moore for working so cooperatively and quickly with the Congresswoman on this issue. Postmaster Moore said, "Although the District of Columbia postmark never went away, we are pleased to work with Congresswoman Norton to take steps to ensure that nearly all District mail receives the postmark. We are also happy to announce that the level of service in the Metropolitan area has improved markedly to the extent that the Capital Metro Area now leads the nation in overnight service performance."

The full text of the Norton news conference statement follows:

Our city seldom gets official presents, but just in time for the holiday mail this year, the Postal Service has agreed to restore the Washington, D.C. postmark, our city's birthright and identity to the rest of the world. We are indebted to Postmaster Yverne P. (Pat) Moore, whom I initially contacted upon learning of the vanishing postmark, for moving quickly to put us in touch with regional Postal Service officials, whom we also thank today for working closely with us in achieving the return of our postmark. At the Gaithersburg Suburban Mail Sorting Center, the D.C. postmark appeared only rarely, upon request or when three D.C. postmark machines were used at Gaithersburg, where the District's outgoing mail has been processed since the tragic anthrax deaths of two postal employees at the old Brentwood post office. In my meetings with Postal Service officials, I learned that changes in personnel were the likely cause but that there had been no intention by top Postal officials to discard the D.C. postmark.

I have confirmed that the postmark can be restored on most mail originating in the District without impairing the delivery time that customers must have. On the contrary, I believe that the wholesale restoration of the postmark will increase efficiency by relieving the Postal Service from responding to individual requests for the D.C. postmark by postal customers. Most of our mail is delivered in batches exclusively from the District at the end of the day. If our mail is delivered together to Gaithersburg, it can be postmarked together, and can indicate truthfully that D.C. mail originated in D.C. Instead of impairment to processing or delivery, the Postal Service may find greater efficiency in postmarking the mail together as it arrives and then sorting it appropriately as inside and outside D.C. mail. I know from our subcommittee hearing on Postal Service operations that the agency has made great strides in processing and delivery time in this region. I also learned in discussions with Postal officials that a small quantity of mail from the District of Columbia is delivered to the Capitol Heights center after regular business hours. I appreciate that the Postal Service is looking into how the D.C. postmark might be used on this mail as well, but I understand that this will require more time. Meanwhile, we wanted to make sure that residents learned of the good news that the great majority of our mail will carry the D.C. postmark in time for the holidays.

The Washington, D.C. postmark was born with the capital of the United States itself. Residents have valued their postmark as a vital expression of the identity of their hometown. Members of Congress and government officials proudly use the postmark as a sign of patriotism and prestige, showing that they work or live in the most important capital in the world. I believe I do not overstate when I say that the Washington, D.C. postmark is every bit as important as the postal identifier of any of the capital in the world from London and Paris to Beijing and Moscow. The District's unique and anomalous place in the union often leaves us on the outside trying to get in as if we didn't belong on the inside as American citizens. We are close to getting our vote on the House floor after 206 years of denial. This is a time for the District to gain greater respect and authority, not to lose any part of our unique identity as a world capital and hometown to 600,000 residents. Although our postmark belongs to all who use our mail, hometown Washington is the guardian of that postmark. We are pleased to reclaim that postmark today for residents, for those who use our mail, and for the many tourists who visit and send mail home with the Washington, D.C. postmark, as a souvenir of their visit to our city.