Mary Jane Smith’s 11-month-old African Gray Parrot, Sam, may lack the electrifying majesty of the U.S. Post Office American Eagle, but there’s something he says that’s even more special: “Destination imagination.”
To the new Postmaster of the Malibu Post Office, those words have a ring of magic.
“I never dreamed I would be here!” she exults.
And yet, after a 22-year, honor-filled career with the U.S. Postal Service, Smith, who took her first job as a letter carrier in part because it would allow her to get off work early and go to the beach, has wound up in the place she loves most.
“I used to come to the beach every single day,” she says. “And I used to think about how great it would be to be the Malibu Postmaster. But I never imagined it would really happen.”
As Postmaster, Smith, 42, is accountable for all postal operations within Malibu’s four offices, including Point Dume, La Costa, the annex, and the main office at the Colony market area.
“Money, vehicles, fuel, all our stock . . . the budget . . . everything,” says the blond, waving a hand with a flourish.
“If anything happens, I’m the one.”
So, even though Malibu, with its share of privacy-loving eccentrics, stars, moguls, and professionals, also may have more than its share of brush fires, sea storms and landslides, Smith said she’s ready for any challenge.
During 1994, when Smith was managing the Mission City Annex post office, the 6.7 Northridge earthquake struck, killing 57 people, injuring 1,500, damaging 12,500 buildings and knocking out utilities in nearly 50,000 structures.
Her building was damaged and could not be reopened for four days, so Smith worked outdoors for days and spent long hours seven days a week to make sure there were no delivery slowdowns.
“Things had fallen down from the ceiling,” she recalls. “Carriers were not allowed in, but we just tried to get things going and started. And we had no mail lost during that time.”
In recognition of her leadership, the district honored Smith with a special commendation.
Smith has had a series of managerial positions prior to her assignment here. She served as manager of customer service in Sylmar, where she also managed the post office, and was a quality practitioner, in which she trained upper level management employees in problem solving techniques, counter measures and how to document systems with flow charts.
With 3,618 feet of mail volume sent in Malibu last week, the number of letters here is not as high as some of the other areas where Smith has worked. And, with 7,612 daily deliveries along 21 city routes and four rural routes, the activity level isn’t quite as frantic compared to the 33,000 daily deliveries she supervised in Sylmar. But the position will add some new responsibilities to Smith’s rsum in terms of community service.
As postmaster, it is her role to be visible in the community, meeting community leaders and customers, and to create a good image for the office. She is planning to visit Pepperdine University, one of Malibu’s biggest users of the postal system, to join the Rotary Club, and to have lunch with as many community members as time permits.
She also is remodeling her office at 23648 Malibu Road to reflect a more contemporary feeling and improve use of technology.
“I am taking over from someone who retired and had not made too many changes in a long time,” she said. “I want to bring us into the 21st Century. I want post office employees to be recognized for their timely, consistent, and accurate service. And I want the people of Malibu to say, ‘We don’t have to wait in line.’ “
Smith’s precocious parrot is learning to talk ahead of schedule, which makes her smile. And the words “Destination imagination,” which he learned as a result of her 9-year-old son Kale’s school project, are continually ringing in her ears.
So, today, as longtime friend and postal worker Phil Schoeffling presides over the half-hour swearing-in ceremonies, as family and friends look on, as her husband, Joel, who is Postmaster of the Agoura office, speaks not only on behalf of the Postal System, but also for his wife, and as Long Beach District Manager David Shapiro delivers the oath of office, Smith no doubt will be contemplating the meaning of those words.
Smith will officially be sworn in on Oct. 26, at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend the ceremony at the Point Dume Station, 29160 Heathercliff Road.