Postal commission chair announces resignation; rates to increase

Edward Gleiman announced Monday he would retire as chairman of the Postal Rate Commission, the independent agency charged with setting the price of sending mail, early next year.

Gleiman will leave office Feb. 2, 2001, giving up both his chairmanship and position as commissioner. His seat on the five-person commission will remain open until the next President names--and the Senate confirms--a successor. The next President must also name the next chairman, who can be selected from any of the five commissioners.

Gleiman's announcement came at the end of a press conference where the rate commission recommended a series of increases in postal rates. The commission recommended a one-cent increase in first-class postage, to 34 cents. The commissioners also suggested that the cost of mailing one pound of priority mail be raised from $3.20 to $3.50.

The overall average increase for all classes of mail would be 4.6 percent. The U.S. Postal Service was seeking a 6 percent average increase. Nonetheless, the increase is expected to generate $2.5 billion in much-needed revenue for the Postal Service, which is expected to lose money this year.

The Postal Service's Board of Governors will make a final decision on the timing and amount of the new rates next month.

As for Gleiman, he says that after 33 years in government, it's time to try something new.

"Given the time I've put in on the rate case and restrictions in the law, I haven't talked to anyone about my future," Gleiman said. "What I do know is that on Groundhog Day, I will stick my head out." Gleiman indicated he would like to stay connected to the government, saying, "I think that government service can be very rewarding."

Widely respected among Postal Service watchers, Gleiman came to the Postal Rate Commission in 1994 after 17 years on Capitol Hill, where he worked on postal issues for both the House Government Operations Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Services, the Post Office and the Civil Service. He started his career in government in 1971 as a patent examiner.