It seems it’s not safe to put your mail in those convenient blue USPS mailboxes anymore.

Five days ago, I came home from running errands to our street on Lea Hill to find one of those big metal boxes laying on its side in the small ditch in front of a neighbor’s house.

We’ve had lesser elements leave stolen cars there before, but this was a first. There was mail strewn all around it.

My father had called it in to the Auburn Police, who told him someone else had reported it, too. It was still there the next day, so he called again and asked if the Auburn Post Office had been informed. They had. Another day went by … and another. I stopped a Postal worker and let him know.

Now, it is Day 5, and still that box lays there in front of my recently deceased best friend’s house, practically shouting, “Come dump the remnants of your crimes here.”

I’ve left a message with the mayor as I could only get voice mail.

Anyone care to take any bets on how long it stays there? And would you all consider it a public service to let the public know that those boxes aren’t as thief-proof as we once believed? Too bad, because mail theft has been more of a problem of late.

Civic duty goes both ways. If our leaders don’t take steps indicating they actually care about the residents of the cities they work for, then why should we care enough to elect them?

– Natalie William