Local serves as postmaster for the day in Rehoboth Beach

The Rehoboth Beach Post Office had a new leader at its helm June 23.

Sussex County resident Tom Carroll served as postmaster for the day to understand the inner workings of supervising a post office. Carroll worked alongside Dionne Watts, who has held the job as the Rehoboth Beach Post Office postmaster since April 2022. 

As the postmaster, Watts ensures that every piece of mail that arrives in Rehoboth from Wilmington each morning gets to the local mail carriers and is delivered to the correct locations. Then, Watts confirms that all mail that comes back with the carrier or is given to the Rehoboth Beach Post Office is sent back on a truck to Wilmington.

“That’s my job,” Watts said. “I have to make sure that’s done every single day.”

Carroll started his morning by communicating with the post office staff as Watts does. As temperatures are rising in Sussex County, Carroll emphasized the importance of protecting his employees. The honorary postmaster warned them to stay hydrated, take breaks as needed and follow all necessary precautions, as well as keeping an eye on customers enduring the heat.

With Watts, Carroll also informed the clerks about the post office’s continued work to become more handicap accessible. The hope is that by next summer, there will be new equipment toward the back of the building to ensure the post office is open to all without significantly altering the historical structure. 

“I just want to keep the original stuff, but I want them to make it efficient and effective for us if they can,” Watts said.

Next, Carroll handled employee needs. When a staff member requested time off for a beach day, he determined what was best for the customer. 

“Doesn’t sound like an emergency,” Carroll said with a laugh. 

Carroll must make sure he has ample staff to cover each route every day. Even if the post office is shorthanded, they must still send every piece of mail out to customers. 

The mail load is typically heavier in the summer and spikes up again around Christmas. Currently, letter carriers make about 900 deliveries daily. 

The Rehoboth Beach Post Office originally started with two or three mail carriers. Now, the post office employs 70 carriers. The office oversees about 1.5 million pieces of mail per day, not including parcels.

With such a large volume, Carroll checked in with customers entering the building to understand their perspectives on the quality of service they are receiving. 

“I’m amazed that things get where they’re going all the time,” said Ann Iudica, a Rehoboth Beach resident. “I’m grateful for it.”

Carroll enjoys the in-person communication at the post office, where clerks determine customer needs. He said they offer great advice and are easy to talk to, a sentiment with which Watts agreed regarding all of her employees.

“They make my job so much easier because they show up and they do what they’re supposed to do every day,” Watts said. “They make it so easy for me to focus on what I need to do. I wouldn’t trade them. I’m going to keep coming back every day.”

A postmaster is the individual in charge of a U.S. post office or network of post offices. Postmasters supervise employees, arrange work schedules, and oversee ingoing and outgoing mail processes. Postmasters must possess management principles, technical skills and knowledge of software programs used to complete day-to-day responsibilities. All postmasters operate under the guidance of the postmaster general, who serves as the head of the U.S. Postal Service.