Since his first term as Mayor, Carlo DeMaria, has been a firm advocate on maintaining a clean and respectable community. Even before being elected, the Mayor and Mrs. DeMaria discussed the importance of community appearance as a tool to improve home values, entice business investment, and overall progress of the neighborhood reputation.
The Mayor and First Lady have lead the charge on removing vandalism from private and public properties, especially the use of graffiti. In his inaugural address, DeMaria highlighted that our City, businesses and residents should not be subject to this type of vandalism.
In recent months, the City’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD), encouraged by the DeMarias’ initiative, has partnered with the United States Postal Service to lead an aggressive campaign to remove graffiti from mailboxes throughout the community. By pursuing this it continues to enhance the quality of life the DeMarias set out to achieve 10 years ago.
Mayor DeMaria stated, “I want to thank both ISD and the U.S. Postal Service for their great work on pursuing this important campaign. ISD will continue to investigate these cases and we will hold those accountable that cause destruction to property. We encourage young people to pursue positive outlets for artistic expression instead of causing damage to public and private property.”
ISD began an investigation after locating and receiving numerous complaints of “tagging” which is spray-painted graffiti. Much of this graffiti was spray painted or written in permanent marker on various mailboxes across the city. This investigation in conjunction with the Postal Service revealed that this has become a common occurrence.
ISD Inspectors locate mailboxes that have been vandalized and report the location to the Postal Service, who will then remove the graffiti. This operation has resulted in hundreds of mailboxes throughout the community being cleaned.