Blethen returns to Damariscotta for second stint as postmaster

Sat, 07/10/2021 - 8:45am

A familiar face has returned as the Damariscotta postmaster. Lesley Blethen had the job between 1999 and 2004. She has since served as Boothbay Harbor postmaster and most recently in the postal service’s district office in Portland. Blethen was the northern New England consumer and industry contact person. She was also contact person for the U.S. Congressional delegations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Blethen spent three years in the district office. “I loved it,” she said. “It was an interesting and challenging position, but the commute was difficult. I left Boothbay Harbor at 6:30 a.m. and wouldn’t return home until almost 9 p.m. I knew Tom (Hutchins) was retiring so I applied, and I’m glad to be back on the Midcoast,” she said.

As postmaster, Blethen is responsible for overseeing mail deliveries, retail services, managing carriers and clerks and serving as a contact for community questions. Blethen has spent the last 28 years working in the postal service. She started in 1993 after serving six years in the U.S. Army. She began her postal career working a temporary job in Boothbay Harbor. “I started during a hiring freeze and couldn’t work for more than six months. The freeze ended, and Elaine Edwards, who was the postmaster, told me about an opening. And the rest is history,” she said.

Her Army time accumulates toward her postal career which now numbers 33 years. Blethen is within three years of retirement, but isn’t sure when she will retire. “I’d probably drive my husband crazy if I retired,” she said. Blethen enjoys her job so there is no hurry to stop working.

“I have no regrets, it’s been a great career,” she said. “I love our mission of delivering mail and providing services to our customers. Also as postmaster, I love the interaction with people.”

In 2021, the postal service, like other private and public organizations, has faced a challenge in staffing. Blethen said the postal service is demanding, but rewarding. “There is a great deal of multi-tasking involved, but for the right person it’s a wonderful career.” When Blethen returned to Damariscotta in June, the local bureau was short staffed. This resulted in the new postmaster delivering mail.

“I’ve delivered the mail five times since I returned to Damariscotta. One night a mail carrier was sick so I was out to 8:30 p.m. delivering,” she said.

So after her long career in the postal service, whether as a clerk, carrier, district manager, or postmaster, it’s clear ... Lesley Blethen delivers.