Martin takes oath as Harlan Postmaster

 HARLAN — Vanessa Martin, Harlan’s new Postmaster, was sworn in Tuesday, September 10.
 Martin transferred to the Harlan Post Office in January and accepted the Postmaster in April. Rich Foust, Manager of Post Office Operations, issued the oath of office to Martin. Foust and Martin worked together in Des Moines, and Martin said it was an honor to have him issue the oath. “With our history, it was an honor to receive the certificate from him.”
 Martin is a native of Glenwood and has 19 years of service with the U.S. Postal Service. Prior to moving to Harlan, she was a supervisor in Bellevue for three years. “It’s good to be back in Southwest Iowa,” Martin said.
 She said she appreciates the diversity her job offers. “It’s never the same two days in a row. I can be doing payroll one day, then customer service or one of the rural routes. It’s just a vast variety of things.”
 In addition to the Harlan office, Martin oversees the post offices in Defiance, Earling, Panama, Elk Horn, and Kimballton. She said she gives a lot of credit to her 23 staff members.
 “They are good. They are local and know the area and the community. It’s nice to have that knowledge base. They helped me a lot when I came here.”