John Peterson has sent a letter to Postmaster General William Henderson asking him to reevaluate a proposed plan to eliminate the Oil City Pennsylvania Postal Service Center. Since the proposal was made public, Peterson has researched the issue and learned that such a move by the US Postal Service would be detrimental to the rural communities that depend on the current service center. In his letter, Peterson explained that the plan could adversely affect mail delivery and economic development. Oil City area residents are already experiencing unnecessary delays in their mail delivery and are not treated equally to urban residents. He said his 26 years of experience as a businessman have given him first-hand frustration with slow mail delivery.
Mail delivery is a vital segment of business infrastructure.
With a reputation for less than timely and reliable mail delivery, we may lose or ability to attract and retain a wide variety of businesses. Finally, Peterson expressed his concern over the potential loss of jobs. Oil City has been very hard hit economically over the past decade, losing large employers on almost an annual basis. The jobs that the Postal Service provides in Oil City are more important to the community than you can possible imagine. Rural America has much to offer, but we need to renew our commitment to rural communities if we are to continue growing.