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Clinton asks for help to keep Social Security office

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By Steven Martens | Wednesday, April 30, 2008 |

CLINTON, Iowa — The Clinton City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday asking that the local Social Security Administration office be kept open.

Letters dated April 15 were sent to residents advising them that the Clinton office would be closed effective June 1, and they would have to go to the office in Davenport if they wanted to speak to a Social Security representative in person.

Social Security spokesman John Garlinger said having only three people working in the Clinton office made that office inefficient, and that the three people who work there will be transferred to the Davenport office.

Garlinger said office visits frequently are not necessary because information about Social Security programs is available online and by telephone.

The resolution states that the city has concerns that the local community may not be adequately served if the office is closed.

The council will forward copies of the resolution to the offices of U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

“We need a lot of help on this problem,” council member Bob Soesbe, 1st Ward, said.

Braley has added his name to the list of co-sponsors of a resolution that would prohibit the Social Security Administration from closing local offices without submitting a report to Congress justifying the closure.

Braley said in a news release that the Clinton office serves 11,000 residents, and that number will grow as Baby Boomers begin to reach retirement age.

“Social Security’s decision to close the Clinton office will make travel and communication more difficult for area residents,” Braley said.

Braley spokesman Jeff Giertz said 10 Social Security offices have been closed throughout the country in the last year, including an Iowa office in Oskaloosa.

An office in Storm Lake also is scheduled to be closed, he said.

Giertz said there are now 35 co-sponsors of the bill, which remains in committee.

“I think there’s a lot of support in Congress for Social Security to justify the closing of local offices,” Giertz said. “There’s been concern over these closures.”

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.