New Postmaster General Named

_ The man who straightened out mail delivery problems in the Washington area now gets to turn his attention to the whole Postal Service.
Postal veteran John E. Potter will become the nation’s 72nd postmaster general on June 1, the agency announced Monday.
“The biggest challenge facing the Postal Service is revenue,” Potter said in an interview after being named to the top job.
The agency raised rates in January and plans additional price increases in July _ though the summertime increase will not change the basic 34-cent first class rate.
The Postal Service has also frozen construction projects and cut back on hiring in an effort to deal with a slumping economy and rising prices, including skyrocketing fuel costs.
Asked if he has major changes planed for the massive agency, Potter responded:
“Over the course of time I do, not on day one.” “I don’t expect to come in with a blueprint,” he added. “I have a lot of ideas.” In 1995 Congress, frustrated by slow mail service in the Washington metropolitan area, created a new position to oversee that region. Potter was tapped to take charge and was able to improve on-time delivery.
Though he lists that as one of his top accomplishments, he credited the improvement to postal employees.
Potter, currently executive vice president and chief operating officer for the post office, was named to the top job by the agency’s governing board. He will succeed William J. Henderson, who leaves office May 31. “Jack’s talent and commitment have delivered success in providing affordable, universal mail service for the nation,” said Robert F. Rider, chairman of the postal board of governors.
As chief operating officer for the Postal Service, Potter is responsible for national mail delivery operations.
The postmaster general is chosen by the nine-member board that operates the post office. The job, which pays $161,200, does not require Senate confirmation. Potter takes over a troubled agency, but he is familiar with its problems, which include a potential $2 billion loss this year. The post office does not receive tax money for its operations and is expected to break even over time. Asked about reports the agency might seek a third rate increase in 2001, Potter said he has not been involved in those discussions. The agency has been seeking changes in the law under which it operates to provide more flexibility in pricing and operations. Potter will have to work with Congress on those changes. Nina Link, president of the Magazine Publishers of America, said Potter should try “fresh approaches” to fix the agency’s problems and avoid another rate increase. Link said in a statement the Postal Service should cut costs by freezing hiring and consolidating postal facilities. In addition to managing mail delivery, Potter has been in charge of planning and processing, engineering, facilities, labor relations and network operations management.
Potter joined the Postal Service in 1978 as a clerk in Westchester, N.Y., eventually holding several posts in the Northeast region. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University in New York and a master’s degree in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He lives in Potomac, Md., with his wife, Maureen, and their two children.
___ On the Net:
U.S. Postal Service: http://www.usps.com
AP ONLINE, 21st May 2001