[The Raven]

Issue follows twisted path

10/31/02
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Allegations of wrongdoing and misuse of power within the infrastructure of the U.S. Postal Service have generated a whole basketful of vague information. One fact, however, seems very clear in this pre-election mess—the Blytheville community, and the economic impact of the CNet Christmas mail-sorting operation on this community, was being used as an expendable pawn by someone in some sort of political chess game.

According to a senior GOP leadership aide in Washington, D.C., who asked that his name not appear in print, when the postal service announced its decision to shut down the CNet operation in Blytheville, that decision sparked a number of questions on Capitol Hill.

The Postal Service, he said, never makes a major decision of this sort so close to a major election. When U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas, learned of the decision, he placed a hold on supplemental funding for the Postal Service, and asked for assistance from Sen. Ben Nighthorse-Campbell, R-Colorado, Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi. Thompson, the ranking Republican on the Senate Government Affairs Committee which oversees the Postal Service, requested a review of the decision by the Postal Service. That request was granted.

On Monday, Oct. 21, Postmaster General John Potter notified members of the Arkansas delegation he was upholding the decision to shut down the Blytheville CNet operation. Hutchinson contacted Thompson, Nighthorse-Campbell and Lott and once again asked for their assistance. On Wednesday, Thompson sent another request to the Postmaster General, asking him to resubmit his decision with a financial cost to benefit breakdown of savings to the postal service by discontinuing the CNet operation in Blytheville. Potter immediately revoked his decision, and agreed to provide the information.

On Thursday, Lott and Nighthorse-Campbell both contacted Potter, indicating their concern over this unconventional election year decision, and stating they intended to investigate the situation further.

That investigation revealed there was a plan among top postal officials to move resources connected with the Blytheville CNet operation to another location outside of Arkansas.

On Friday, Deborah Willhite, senior vice president of government relations and public policy for the Postal Service, abruptly resigned. It was learned by those investigating that Willhite, a former member of the Bill Clinton presidential campaign and political appointee to the Postal Service, was involved in the discussions concerning the moving of those resources from Blytheville.

Willhite's position with the postal service involved acting as an informational liaison between Capitol Hill and the Postal ervice, and as a legislative lobbyist for the Postal Service.

The big question in the GOP leadership's mind, the aide said, is "how is she involved in budget and finance? We don't know. That's our big question."

Willhite could not be reached for comment. However, she told Paul Bedard, a writer for U.S. News and World Report, she planned to resign anyway, and her resignation had nothing to do with the Blytheville CNet operation.

Bedard originally reported the story about the moving of resources from the Blytheville CNet operation Monday in his Washington Whispers feature section. That article can be viewed by visiting the U.S. News and World Web site at www.usnews.com.

That article also indicated the CNet resources were being moved to Georgia, the area represented by Sen. Max Cleland, D-Georgia, and that Willhite had made campaign contributions to both Cleland, and Arkansas Attorney Gen. Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, who is running against Hutchinson for the Arkansas senate seat. That race is one of the most closely watched in the country, and the outcome could affect the balance of party political power in Washington. The aide said there is no evidence either Pryor or Cleland were involved in the plan to move the resources out of Blytheville. There is also no clear indication where those funds were to be moved, although it is clear they were being moved from this area to another state. Senate Republicans continue to investigate the closing of the Blytheville CNet operations and any possible political connections. A complete review of the decision and the moving of resources is being conducted at this time by the Postal Service, the aide said.

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Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., is frustrated at what he calls postal mismanagement.

"The post office would have broken even if they hadn't paid themselves a couple of hundred million in bonuses," he said. "And that speaks for itself."

Taxpayer groups say the government should stop giving the Postal Service money until it cuts the waste.

The Postal Service says it may lose $2 billion to $3 billion this year, prompting another stamp price increase. The agency says it has addressed some of the abuses, such as the town cars, which will not happen again.