Elected officials are seeking answers from the U.S. Postal Service, but multiple requests for testimony have been rejected.
Frustrations with mail delivery have reached Boston City Hall.
Residents have written to city councilors about recent mail delays, prompting requests for Boston Postmaster Joshua Balcunas to testify.
"This isn't about one postal district, this isn't about one city council district, this is about the entire city," said Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who represents District 8.
That initial ask was rejected by Balcunas and the United States Postal Service, causing councilors to put forward a subpoena. The USPS responded by sending a letter through legal counsel.
"The request for testimony does not comply with applicable federal regulations," the letter read, adding that recent service scores are "solid and stable."
"It is disappointing," said District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén. "We want to work with all levers of government, especially with ones as important as the USPS."
But Postal Service emails seem to provide insight into the agency's thinking. Durkan's office provided NBC10 Boston with a series of correspondence between USPS officials, inadvertently sent to councilors, debating how to respond to the first request made in early October.
"The council has a political agenda and not so much about customers," one employee wrote.
The emails also discussed the sticking-power of a subpoena.
"I would not have subpoenaed them without those internal conversations that they had, knowing that a subpoena would maybe have more heft," said Durkan.
The USPS has not responded to NBC10 Boston's requests for comment. City councilors in Boston say they'll continue to seek testimony despite recent resistance.
"I think we're making good headway here," Pepén said. "I think we're going to have something very soon."
"For me, this is really just about getting answers," said Durkan.
