NEW BEDFORD — Mayor Jon Mitchell and the city’s congressional delegation have written separate letters urging the United States Postal Service not to close and relocate the downtown post office.

Mitchell submitted a letter and a petition signed by more than 200 city residents opposing the move of the post office, an historic 1915 Classical Revival, light-granite building, named for retired U.S. District Court Judge George Leighton.

“I believe the move is unwise, short-sighted, and potentially disruptive to the strong resurgence of activity that New Bedford’s downtown has enjoyed over the past several years,” the mayor wrote in his letter.

In another letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. William Keating, all Massachusetts Democrats, they too urged the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider.

They wrote that “this proposal will hurt USPS’s ability to serve New Bedford and will undermine the Postal Service’s important contributions to New Bedford’s downtown. We respectfully request that USPS reverse this decision and work to maintain the existing Pleasant Street post office.”

The mayor and congressional representatives cite the naming of the post office in honor of Leighton, whom Mitchell called “one of the highest-ranking Cape Verdeans ever to serve in the United States government” in his letter.

The post office was originally flagged in February by the U.S. Postal Service for possible closure and relocation to another downtown site.

via Mayor, congressional delegation write to oppose New Bedford post office change | SouthCoastToday.com.