Relocating from Chico, Calif., at the end of April to accept the position as the new postmaster, Mardi Muru and his wife are new to Sequim, but already love the town.

“From a professional standpoint my research into the office and the area found that the postmaster position would be a very challenging and rewarding assignment,” Muru said. “Previously the closest I have ever been to Sequim was Oak Harbor and Port Townsend while I was serving in the Navy.”

Muru enjoys the outdoors, hiking and small towns. Having lived and worked in numerous post office locations throughout the Pacific Northwest he always enjoyed living in a small community rather than a bustling city.

After his tour with the Navy, Muru became involved with the U.S. Postal Service as a clerk in 1997 in Salem, Ore.

Since, Muru has worked nearly every position within the agency, but took his first postmaster position in 2006.

Currently, the Sequim Post Office has a staff of 37, but Muru intends to hire additional employees within the next couple months.

The Sequim Post Office has experienced a lot of leadership turnover, little consistency and the staff is spread too thin, Muru explained. Knowing these challenging however, Muru hopes to work toward becoming more consistent, improve customer service and work more “hand-in-hand” with local businesses.

As postmaster, Muru understands his responsibility within the community is to ensure that the Sequim Post Office can both achieve and uphold the level of service that has become expected of the Postal Service for over 220 years despite technological and cultural changes.

The Postal Service continues to adapt as less people send letters and pay bills via mail, but instead use various types of electronic mediums. As a result the post office is shifting from a letter-oriented business to being more parcel-orientated. “People can’t e-mail packages,” Muru said.

However, the most challenging part of being a postmaster in a relatively small community, such as Sequim is the amount of government oversight the Postal Service is under despite not being a government entity because of the agency’s national presence. Sometimes, such government oversight limits the ability to make policy decisions on a local level, Muru explained.

Fortunately for Muru, he is eager to tackle the challenges the Sequim Post Office has experienced and begin by filling both office and delivery vacancies.

“My No. 1 priority is to improve the service of the facility and its public impression,” Muru said.