FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
Queens Congress members are fed up with Postal Service
BY RYAN KELLEY
rkelley@qns.com
Twitter @R_Kelley6
Members of Congress representing
Queens are fed up with the borough’s
reported mail delivery problems and are
calling for immediate action from the
United States Postal Service (USPS).
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Grace
Meng was joined by Congressmen Joe
Crowley and Gregory Meeks to send a letter
to the postmaster general of the USPS,
Megan J. Brennan, highlighting the complaints
Photo courtesy of J. Richard Parrott
A Q&A with J. Richard Parrott of Halstead Property in Long Island City
1. When did you join
Halstead and why did
you make the move?
When Halstead moved into LIC in
2015, I’d already been living in the
community for a dozen years and had
watched the evolution of one of the city’s
most exciting neighborhoods from the
front row. I had been developing my
business plan for a couple of years and
knew that Halstead was the right partner
for me soon aft er our fi rst meeting. I
formally joined Halstead as a sales agent
in October 2017 and I’m thrilled with
the platform and support the company
provides.
2. What is your role there?
As a Halstead agent, my role is to provide
buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants
the most current and up-to-date
market information and hands-on expert
guidance through their search and sale or
purchase of real estate. Whether you’ve
done a dozen deals or whether you’re
working on your fi rst, a knowledgeable,
professional real estate agent can be
worth his or her weight in gold.
3. How has the real estate market
changed throughout the
years, and what are some future
trends that we will be seeing?
Queens has been the next “new” thing
over the past few years, with the massive
redevelopment in Long Island City as its
anchor. Th e incredible boom that’s been
going on in this waterfront community
– just minutes from Grand Central and
Times Square – has captured the interest
of new New Yorkers and natives alike. Th e
new construction and the renewed interest
in Queens is really driving exploration
into other great Queens neighborhoods,
like Astoria, Jackson Heights and Forest
Hills. Th e borough’s amazing ethnic and
cultural diversity off ers a rich and authentic
experience that is truly New York.
With cranes still prominent in the skies
north and south of Queensboro Plaza,
the boom is showing no signs of slowing
down. Early signs seem to be pointing
to a busy spring in real estate, and
now more than ever, buyers will be looking
in Queens.
4. What do you love about living
and working in Queens?
I did the whole Manhattan rat race
for years, and now I’m really fortunate
to do the majority of my business close
to home. I feel like living and working
in Queens gives me and my family the
best of all worlds. We get everything the
city has to off er without the same level of
crowds and noise and stress. Th ere are no
limitations on where your day in Queens
can take you – whether it’s a quick run or
ride through the park or along the waterfront,
or having a night out in one of the
many fantastic restaurants, Queens has it
all. One of the best parts about working
local is that the coff ee lines vanish aft er
the rush hour commuters have all scurried
into “the city.”
J. Richard Parrott
Jrparrott@halstead.con
347-975-3918
they have heard from their constituents.
Severely delayed mail, significant
problems with package delivery,
receiving incorrect mail and poor customer
service at post offi ces are common
problems that the Congress members said
are unacceptable.
“New Yorkers rely on the United States
Postal Service as an eff ective and dependable
means of communication,” the letter
said. “It is critical that USPS maintain
reliable mail delivery service. Th e current
mail delivery problems plaguing the
residents of Queens must be addressed
immediately.”
Th e letter also said that these problems
have existed since before Winter Storm
Grayson, though the storm led to a surge
in complaints from residents who didn’t
receive mail for nearly a week. Many people
still receive Social Security benefi ts, bills, vital
medical supplies and prescriptions, government
issued identifi cations and fi nancial
documents in the mail, the letter explained.
Th e letter is not the fi rst from Meeks,
however, who sent a much more pointed
message to the USPS in a letter on
Jan. 18. Meeks said in that letter that
he scheduled a meeting with a senior
USPS offi cial that was later canceled by
the offi ce of the postmaster general. Th e
Congressman was “irate” at the cancellation
and expressed deep concern for his
constituents dealing with “demonstrated
incompetence” form the postal service,
the letter said.
“I have already discussed the matter
with my colleagues on the House
Oversight and Government Reform
Committee, as it is now clear to me that
the problem is more sweeping than was
originally reported and therefore warrants
robust Congressional oversight,”
Meeks said in his letter.
A spokesperson for Meeks confi rmed
on Tuesday that his meeting with the
USPS has been rescheduled and the
details are being fi nalized. Crowley and
Meng are also likely to join Meeks at the
meeting, the spokesperson said.
Also on Tuesday, Borough President
Melinda Katz held a roundtable discussion
with members of the press before her
upcoming State of the Borough address
on Jan. 26. When asked about the borough
wide mail delivery problems, Katz
admitted that she is limited in how she
can respond since the USPS is a federal
institution, but she off ered some advice to
those who are aff ected.
“One of the ways we can actually be
the most helpful is to try and keep track,
throughout the borough, of complaints
that we get,” Katz said. “Let us know
when there is a particular area that is having
problems with the mail … we can be
better able to keep track of that and notify
the Congress members.”
Other local offi cials have also expressed
their frustrations with the USPS in recent
weeks. Back on Jan. 9 in the aft ermath
of Winter Storm Grayson, Councilman
Robert Holden told QNS that the lack of
mail deliveries “can jeopardize people’s
lives,” and he has seen the postal service
fall into a “downward spiral” for years.
Councilman Eric Ulrich released
a statement on Jan. 22 saying that he
received 20 complaints about mail delivery
in January alone. Th e statement also
said that Ulrich’s Ozone Park offi ce has
been aff ected as well, with time-sensitive
and important mail being delivered aft er
offi ce hours or not at all.
“It is completely unacceptable that the
community — and even government
offi ces — have had such abysmal postal
service,” Ulrich said in the statement.
“Th e snow has long melted and service
continues to worsen. My constituents
need answers.”
Photo via Shutterstock
J. Richard Parrott is an agent at Halstead Property in Long Island City.