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- Category: Past Issues
Postmaster
joins his
'ambassadors'
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- His father worked for the post office for 35 years and he worked in the same post office his father did for a while. And now he finds himself working with "family" again at the Putnam Post Office.
Jim Kearns, who was officially named as postmaster of the Putnam Post Office recently, loves the family feeling surrounding him at the Putnam Post Office. "The employees here have been here a long time and they make you feel like family," Kearns said of his crew.
Kearns has been a familiar face in Putnam for months --- when former Postmaster Jerry Moran announced his retirement, Kearns was sent to the Putnam Post Office to "overlap" with Moran.
Originally Kearns worked construction and found there were layoffs in the winter. Seeking a more stable job, he didn't have to look far. His father worked for the post office and he started in Willimantic as a temporary carrier. He worked his way up in a few offices, carrying mail and then serving as a supervisor in Portland, in West Hartford (with its 98 routes) and as a supervisor/customer service in Groton. He then returned to Willimantic and then headed to Putnam when Moran announced his retirement.
The Putnam office is "more of a family style setting," he said. The folks who work at the local post office work well with management and assist in any way they can, Kearns added.
"Moran did an excellent job with cross training. They are all willing to help out when needed," he said.
That's the upside. On the "challenging" side is the weather. "The weather here is tougher," Kearns said. Putnam seems to have more snow than the other offices he's worked in have.
More challenges facing the U.S. Postal Service in general and the Putnam Post Office in particular are the general decline in mail volume. Letters may have declined, but the postal service seems to be delivering more packages.
And the Post Office employees are the "ambassadors" of the Post Office, Kearns said. The connection to the customer is very important in these challenging times, he added. "We need to grow the business. The Post Office is convenient and friendly," Kearns said.
"We appreciate our customers and the businesses here," Kearns said. "Our door is always open."