A Lake Havasu City woman was honored Thursday as the only postal employee in 10 Western states to receive an award jointly given by the National Newspaper Association and the United States Postal Service.

News-Herald Photo/L.J. Frink Monica Northam spends at least three hours a day in the bulk mail entry room checking and verifying advertising percentages in publications, such as Today's News-Herald. She also supervises the front lobby where customers are served.

Monica Northam, Lake Havasu City post office lead sales and service associate, received the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Community Newspaper Postal Partnership Award of Excellence Thursday morning.

Post office authorities said the award is presented in memory of Benjamin Franklin, who served as Philadelphia's postmaster while publishing the Philadelphia Gazette more than 250 years ago. His circulation grew to cover the colonies from New England to Virginia, setting standards of excellence for community newspapers and postal service that still remain, they said.

Northam said she has worked for the city post office for more than 11 years.

"I'm one of only 18 in the nation to receive the award this year, and the only one in the Western area," Northam said. "I verify mailing fees, money deposited, coordinate bar codes and addresses.

Only newspapers may make nominations. Jim Abdon, circulation manager of Today's News-Herald, said he submitted Northam's name because of her assistance with delivery of the newspaper's Smart Buyer advertising package. He said interaction between newspapers and the post office is critical to advertising success.

"People don't know what a big part of a newspaper's business a post office is. We mail 15,000 Smart Buyers a week, and 28,000 Locators (couple booklets) a month," he said. "Every new thing the paper does begins by coming to the post office to see what they can do - size, weight, prices."

According to Abdon, Northam must master extremely difficult mail regulations. She must master the Domestic Mail Manager Quick Service Guide, hundreds of pages written by lawyers. It allows flexibility - but only to those who know how to manipulate its seemingly contradictory provisions. It is reissued every six months. In addition, the Postal Bulletin updates it every two weeks, he said.

"The DMM manual is legal jargon," Northam said. "The regulations are variable. You interpret procedure classifications to suit the needs of the customer."

You may contact the reporter at gweiand@havasunews.com.