Warren office gets new postmaster

By Tim Yovich

Warren’s postmaster is responsible for 200,000 to 250,000 pieces of mail daily.

WARREN — Thomas Kerns, Warren’s 32nd postmaster, feels good when he arrives at work to see all the envelopes and parcels arriving — the more the better.

Kerns, who was sworn in Thursday as Warren’s new postmaster, views the mail as job security, not only for himself, but for the 112 employees he supervises. He said he’d get worried if the stream of mail slows.

It was a family affair at the swearing-in ceremony in Warren City Council chambers as his children, Ben, Sarah and Jenny, led postal workers and friends in the Pledge of Allegiance. His mother, Loretta Kerns, gave the invocation, and his wife, Angela, sang the national anthem.

Kerns, 49, of Niles, replaces Veronica Rice, who became Youngstown’s postmaster in October.

He’s responsible for overseeing the daily delivery of 200,000 to 250,000 pieces of mail and double the amount during the Christmas season. He also has a fleet of 80 vehicles to make the deliveries.

The Warren post office serves the city, Lordstown, Howland and Champion townships and portions of Weathersfield Township.

Don Marshall, district manager of the postal service’s Northern Ohio Performance Cluster in Cleveland, swore in Kerns.

Marshall remarked there are qualities sought when looking for a postmaster. He called attention to those with a clear conscience, commitment to excellence, who can serve as a role model and who can inspire the confidence of employees and the community.

“What does the postmaster do? The community looks at the postmaster to provide service,” Marshall said.

The families of Mayor Michael O’Brien and Kerns have been friends for more than 40 years.

O’Brien said there have been changes in the community, but what hasn’t changed is the post office’s providing comfort and knowledge to residents. “He will expect nothing less,” the mayor said.

A 22-year postal service employee, Kerns said he has an eye on cost containment and service.

“We don’t waste time, and we don’t waste money,” Kerns said.

He is familiar with Warren, having moved here with his family at age 4. He attended St. Mary’s High School and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School.

His first job with the postal service was in Springfield, Ohio, and he was transferred to Warren, where he carried mail along Niles Road.

In discussing the future of the postal service, Kern explained it is attempting to get away from owning property and leasing space in shopping centers, for example.

He doesn’t foresee outsourcing carrier work, however. “We still have the sanctity of the mail,” he remarked.

yovich@vindy.com