Stop Playing Postal Politics, Former BOG Chairman Says

S. David Fineman, Former Chair of the United States Postal Board of Governors, has released a statement on “postal politics”, urging the approval of the three nominees to the Board.

Fineman served as a member of the Board of Governors, first appointed by President Clinton, from 1995 – 2005. And under President Bush he served as Chair of the Board of Governors from 2003 – 2005.

He also served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of DHL ecommerce, the largest mail consolidator of small parcels in the United States, from 2007 to 2017.

The following statement was released by him on “postal politics”:

The Postal Service should not be a political football. We should move ahead with providing needed oversight of the system.

It has been eight years since the Senate approved a nominee to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. Since last December there is not one member serving on the nine-member Board because of expired terms. No one is overseeing the postal system. It is a rudderless ship. It was profitable and can still be profitable.

President Obama’s nominations to the Board of Governors never received Senate Hearings. I am encouraged that the Senate has finally held hearings on President Trump’s three nominees. He needs to make additional nominations so that the US Postal Service Board of Governors can have a full complement to do its very important work.

The nine Governors are nominated for a seven-year term, by the President of the United States and require Senate approval. They make up the “Board” along with the Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General (both chosen by the nine Governors). By law, the Board must be made up of five members of one party and four members of the other party. The Board is comparable to a board of directors of a private corporation. This bipartisan Board without political influence needs to be constituted immediately.