Newman welcomes new postmaster

New Newman postmaster John Paul Cabral addressed those gathered at the downtown plaza Friday to see him officially sworn in to the position.

NEWMAN – The community formally welcomed its new postmaster Friday.

John Paul Cabral was administered the oath of office on the downtown plaza stage, which was decked out with a large U.S. flag as a backdrop and other red, white and blue trappings.

Cabral has been in Newman for about a month.

He most recently worked as a team leader for Operations Programs Support in the Sacramento District, covering an area from the Oregon border to the Fresno area. He accepted the Newman position when jobs in operations were eliminated as part of cost-cutting moves.

Cabral becomes Newman’s first official postmaster since 2006. In the interim, officers-in-charge rather than full-fledged postmasters oversaw the local branch.

The shift back to a postmaster position is due in part because the local branch will be expanding. Gustine mail carriers will soon be working out of the Newman branch.

“Service is not going to change. The customers in Gustine are not even going to notice a difference. They are still going to get delivery, pick up their accountables in Gustine, everything that they have done. The only thing is that they will not see the vehicles at their post office,” Cabral explained, reiterating that the Gustine post office will remain open for business. “My goal is that when the Gustine routes get here that customers won’t even notice.”

Cabral said he has been making a number of aesthetic and logistical changes in preparation for the added workload, trying to maximize the use of space and create the most efficient setting possible to accommodate the larger number of carriers who will be working out of Newman.

“When the Gustine routes get here, it is going to be a learning experience. We are going to be a little more crowded…..we will see how each day goes,” he commented.

Cabral was born and raised in Santa Clara. He joined the Postal Service after serving in the Marine Corps, and has advanced through the ranks in the 26 years since.

His variety of experience and various responsibilities have provided valuable insight and perspective, Cabral believes.

“I always told managers not to forget what it is like to be out on the route running from dogs, tripping on sprinklers and looking for boxes,” he related.

He has worked in metropolitan areas coast to coast as a national team leader.

“I have seen how they do it in the snow, and I have seen how they do it in the summer beach areas. I have been fortunate to have a very well-rounded background,” Cabral explained.

Newman has proven to be a new experience in itself. “Everybody knows everybody here,” he stated. “I don’t get calls for complaints. I get calls from people asking for a phone number for a local tree-trimming service….”

Cabral said his goal is to continue providing the high level of service which customers have come to expect while also operating the local branch as efficiently as possible.

Working closely with the business community is a top priority.

“We have so many awesome products to help our small businesses grow. We will promote products and services to businesses,” he explained. “We can’t survive without our business customers, and they can’t survive without us. We need each other.”

As Newman postmaster, Cabral oversees 11 employees who process and deliver 9,000 pieces of mail each day to 3,788 delivery points on rural routes, city routes and post office boxes.

In addition to his Postal Service responsibilities, Cabral spends a month each year joining church missions to nations around the world helping build schools and hospitals.