YOUNGSTOWN New postmaster takes oath of office, unveils his goals

The postmaster sees the potential for improvements in Youngstown.
By JAYME RAMSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Easing cost concerns for area post offices and saving money for postal-service customers are two goals of the new Youngstown postmaster.
"We are continuously searching for cost-avoidance opportunities in order to save the postal service and ultimately you, the customers, as much money as possible, thereby holding postage rates stable," Larry R. Minniear said during his installation speech Thursday.
Minniear's formal installation ended the area's yearlong period without an official postmaster.
He took the oath of office to become Youngstown's 31st postmaster in front of a crowd of area postal officials and civic and community dignitaries.
The Illinois native brings 27 years of postal experience and four previous postmaster appointments to his position.
Minniear started at his Youngstown post April 19, replacing James E. Greene, who served as officer-in-charge after the retirement of postmaster Patricia Davis in April 2002.
Background
After starting his career in 1976 as a city carrier for the Urbana, Ill., Post Office, Minniear moved on to hold positions of manager of post office operations, four officer-in-charge assignments and four postmaster appointments.
He comes to Youngstown from the position of manager of post office operations for the Mid America District, where he was responsible for 150 offices in southeastern Missouri.
"Basically this was a promotion opportunity for me," Minniear said. "Youngstown certainly has a lot of potential, it certainly has a dedicated work force, and I hope to kind of guide that work force along and make some strides and make some improvements here in Youngstown."
One of the new postmaster's immediate goals is to focus more on the postal employees and customers.
"We should be listening to these segments of our organization and seriously paying attention to what they have to say," he said. "At the Youngstown Post Office, we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding all of our customers' needs."
Still a focus
Joseph W. Cinadr, guest speaker at the installation and a former president of the National League of Postmasters, said cost concerns remain a focus for postal services on the local and national levels. He brought good news during the ceremony, announcing that there will not be a stamp price increase until at least 2006.
Minniear has a bachelor's degree in public administration from Point Park College in Pittsburgh. As a participant in the Postal Service's Advanced Leadership Program, he is working on his master's degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
The Advanced Leadership Program attempts to develop executives.
As postmaster here, Minniear handles the customer service operations for nine facilities in the Youngstown vicinity. His staff of 401 employees delivers to 87,294 customers six days per week.
The nine facilities Minniear oversees are the Youngstown Main Office, Austintown, Boardman, Cornersburg, Poland, North Side, East Side, South Side and West Side.
jramson@vindy.com