LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Lower Lake's newest postmaster was honored at a ceremony on Friday.
Congressman Mike Thompson administered the oath of office to Benjamin Lovato at the afternoon event held at the Russell Rustici Park community hall.
“I am honored to continue a long tradition as postmaster of Lower Lake,” said Lovato, noting that the Postal Service first established its presence in Lower Lake in 1858.
Lovato – who succeeds Sandra Dawson as Lower Lake postmaster – grew up on the North Coast. His family moved from Sonoma County to Lake County in 1989 when he was 10 years old.
Before joining the Postal Service a decade ago he held a variety of jobs, including working as a sous chef and then as a correctional officer at the Lake County Jail.
He said he worked his way up through the Postal Service ranks, serving in Post Offices in Clearlake Oaks, Healdsburg, Hopland, Lakeport, Laytonville, Sebastopol and Ukiah.
Lovato landed his first Postal Service job in 2005 as a part-time clerk in the Lakeport Post Office, transferring to the Clearlake Post Office two years later.
In order to get more hours, he began seeking additional assignments, working about a dozen different offices in two different counties.
In June 2012, he was assigned his first management detail as officer-in-charge – or OIC – at the Laytonville Post Office, a job that gave him experience and resulted in him driving 900 miles a week as part of his commute over the 11 months he worked there.
His next assignment was as OIC in Hopland, where he worked for six months before being detailed as a supervisor customer service at the Healdsburg Post Office in October 2013. In that job he learned how to manage a city delivery unit.
Subsequent assignments included supervisor customer service jobs at the Sebastopol Post Office and in Lakeport, where he was promoted in April 2014.
While at the Lakeport Post Office, Lovato began working with local schoolchildren, teaching them about the art of letter writing, as Lake County News reported earlier this year: bit.ly/1Np9SxI .
From Lakeport, he went on to OIC duties in Clearlake Oaks before receiving the OIC assignment in Lower Lake in May.
His promotion to Lower Lake postmaster became official on Aug. 8.
In his new position, Lovato manages five employees who process and deliver an average of 3,900 pieces of mail daily to 851 delivery points – business and residential addresses – and 1,571 Post Office boxes.
Officials lauded Lovato for his dedication, drive and enterprising nature as he's made his way up through the Postal Service.
Thompson, who worked for the Postal Service while he was in college, pointed out the vital role postal employees play in public service and public safety.
“They are in the community, they know the community. They are first responders in many cases,” he said.
Based on Lovato's example so far, Thompson said he anticipated the community would be well-served by Lovato in his new job as postmaster.
A number of postmasters from around the county attended the ceremony, and Lovato thanked them for their support and assistance along the way. He also extended his thanks to his family and friends for helping him on his journey.
Lovato then presented Thompson – a Vietnam veteran – with a first-issue Purple Heart stamp plaque.
“The last time I got one of these was for not moving fast enough,” quipped Thompson.
When he's not busy making sure the mail gets delivered, Lovato – who lives in Clearlake – enjoys running, biking, snowboarding, skydiving and, most importantly, spending time with his 5-year-old son, Ezra.
Lovato also is a member and does volunteer work for Knights of Columbus and the Lower Lake Community Action Group.
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Lovato sworn in as newest Lower Lake postmaster
- Elizabeth Larson
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