Postmaster General Marvin Runyon, credited with modernizing the U.S. Postal Service and turning it into a profitable business, announced Wednesday he is resigning.
During his six years at the helm of the nation's largest civilian employer, Runyon, 73, was credited with improving delivery of first-class mail while trimming the administrative staff by 23,000.He also looked to technology to help speed up mail processing. For instance, he added robotic computers, optical character readers and other computer automations.
The U.S. Postal Service turned a $1.26 billion profit in 1997 and expects a profitable 1998. The Postal Service's financial successes of 1997 follows profits of $1.77 billion in 1995 and $1.57 billion in 1996, after years of red ink. The strong three-year performance trimmed the agency's long-term financial deficiency from $5.9 billion to $1.36 billion.
"We have made significant strides in raising our service performance levels, in developing a customer-focused approach to postal issues." Runyon said in a statement.
Runyon's six years at the helm of the nation's largest civilian employer were marred by a conflict of interest investigation that ended last year with him paying $27,550 as part of a civil settlement.
Runyon was accused of breaking federal law by taking part in talks about placing Coca-Cola machines in post offices. He owned Coke stock at the time. The deal was never completed.
Runyon was not immediately available to discuss his plans after leaving the agency. He has offered to stay on at least into the spring, until a successor is appointed.