Politics & Government

Stavisky Fights Firings With FOIA

State Sen. won't let Queens mail distribution center close without a fight.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky, D-Forest Hills, won’t let the College Point postal facility die, at least not without a fight.

along with dozens of others across the country, in an effort to consolidate resources.

The post office said it could save as much as $32 million a year by closing the facility, which provides jobs for more than 1,000 local residents.

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At a rally in December, Queens elected officials from both parties blasted the decision, which was eventually reviewed at the national level.

giving legislators at the national level time to reconsider USPS funding.

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Stavisky has been particularly vocal during the fight, as many of the post office workers who stand to lose jobs live in her district.

According to her office, Stavisky filed a Freedom of Information Act request on the College Point center’s finances in December, because of her suspicion that the office may have underreported the number of jobs eliminated in the closing.

Her FOIA request was denied, and now Stavisky is filing a written appeal. Her initial request was denied on the grounds that the office’s “stay of execution” means it may not close after all.

"The Post Office can’t pick and choose which information they feel like releasing to the public as an explanation for closing such an important resource to the community,” said Stavisky. “I recognize that they are in a difficult position, but the USPS needs to show us all the relevant data, and I am challenging their decision to deny it to me, and to my neighbors.”

Stavisky is also hosting an online petition to prevent the center’s closure. Check it out here.


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