[4/23/03)

The Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce announced today that the ballot of an Alternate Place Name will be mailed this week to 5,048 homes and businesses in nine carrier routes in Clayton and Garner.  Responses are to be returned to the chamber office postmarked by May 12, 2003.  Ballots will be counted on Monday, May 19 at Hampton Inn on Technology Drive at 1 p.m.

"We'll follow a procedure similar to that of the 2000 ballot. We will invite five teams of two people each from around the county to help count and others to observe the process," said Jackie Radley, Executive Director of the chamber.  According to Radley, the chamber's past president Deirdre Jersey has organized this mailing with the support of Four Oaks Bank.

"Four Oaks Bank is a member of the chamber and agreed to sponsor the printing and mailing," said Radley who noted that finding a sponsor proved necessary when the United States Postal Service refused to accept responsibility for an error it committed in October 1999.  "They failed to properly research the name Cleveland Springs, which was then the community's choice.  They also would not agree to share the costs of redoing the ballot with the chamber, which had not budgeted for such a mailing this year," said Radley.

Postal service is anticipated to come from the Clayton Post Office, which has greater capacity than Garner. Also, the alternate place name will allow businesses in this area of the county to market themselves with the new name.

Once presented with the name, the USPS will initiate its own formal Alternate Place Name Survey, which should be the last step in the process. 

"Recipients can expect two pieces of mail regarding this issue. The name ballot which must be returned postmarked by May 12th and then the USPS Boundary Survey which I would hope could be mailed sometime this summer by postal authorities," said Jersey adding that she encourages everyone who receives a ballot to participate and only vote for names indicated on the ballot.
 

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