Mayor Launches Census Campaign
‘Everybody Counts’ for 2010 Census
Members of Mayor Michael McGlynn’s 2010 Census Committee met Tuesday morning to discuss the upcoming US Census. Pictured above are US Census officials, Mayor McGlynn, School Superintendent Roy Belson, School Committee Vice Chair Ann Marie Cugno, School Committee member Paulette Van der Kloot, incoming School Committee members Sharon Guzik and George Scarpelli, and several other school and community leaders.
– Allison Goldsberry
It began in 1790 and has been administered every ten years since- the US Census.
The decennial national head count has numerous implications, including the distribution of federal funding and the determination of the number of congressional seats for a state. Local officials could not stress its importance enough at a kick-off meeting held on Tuesday.
“It’s all about expanding our economic base. It’s all about our educational programs,” said Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn.
“In our own way, it’s competition between cities. If the dollars aren’t coming here, they’re going somewhere else,” said Mayor McGlynn.
According to McGlynn, Massachusetts is in danger of losing a congressional seat, which it did during the last US Census. The state currently has ten congressional seats, down from eleven prior to 2000.
Additionally, an accurate count of the city’s population will ensure that it receives the necessary federal funding. Mayor McGlynn said Medford challenged the 2000 census, which said the city’s population had decreased. McGlynn said 300-400 people “were found,” which represented a “significant” amount of money for Medford.
Mayor McGlynn urges residents to tell others why it’s so important for everyone to participate in the Census.
“If they’re not involved, they’re taking money away from the quality of life in this community,” said Mayor McGlynn.
City, Community Leaders to Promote Census Participation
Mayor McGlynn has established a committee of local officials, educators, administrators, and community leaders to promote the Census in Medford.
School Superintendent Roy Belson said Census outreach will be the Medford Public Schools’ primary community service activity for 2010.
“We have the largest capacity in the city to reach people,” said Superintendent Belson.
Superintendent Belson reinforced the Mayor’s push for an accurate count, as numbers impact funding and grant determinations and demographic data helps the schools better understand the needs of the student population.
“It does make a difference in our bucks…this is going to be the most brutal financial year you can imagine,” said Superintendent Belson.
“10 Questions in 10 Minutes”
McGlynn said residents should not be worried about their private information being shared with others. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA or any other government agency. All Census employees take the oath of nondisclosure and face fines, jail, or both if they disclose any information.
The 2010 Census is far shorter and less complicated than the previous one. Census officials are pushing it as “ten questions in ten minutes,” which is a major departure from the former forty-page questionnaire.
“[The census] is extremely easy to fill out in a short period of time…we’re really hoping the simplicity of the census will draw people to fill it out,” said Kathleen Deshields, the manager of the Woburn-based US Census office. The Woburn office covers fourteen Greater Boston communities, including Medford.
Census official Joe Wong said the current US population is the most diverse in American history and will be difficult to count.
“This Census is going to be the toughest one of all,” said Wong.
Now Hiring: The US Census
To help get the most accurate count possible, Census officials are launching a major hiring blitz nation-wide. They plan on hiring local people to go out into their own neighborhoods to help with the Census.
Most jobs will be going door to door to follow up with households that have not responded to the Census, although there will also be some office jobs available.
Assistant Recruiting Manager Wintrop Wulson said he expects to hire over 1,000 people in the Greater Boston area, 120 people in Medford alone.
“If you live in Medford you’re going to work in Medford…for the Census, all hiring is local,” said Wulson.
Wilson said the part-time jobs will pay $18-22 hourly and will last around three months. Interested applicants should go to the Census website for more information.
Census Coming in Mail in April 2010
Census efforts will start to pick up in January. US Census official Ed Quinn, a Medford native, said Census questionnaires will be mailed to every single address in the country in April. People will have two weeks to fill it out and mail it back- the Census will come with a pre-stamped envelope. Those who do not return the Census in the mail can expect a visit from a Census worker going door to door.
According to Quinn, 60% of people responded by mail in the 2000 Census, which means staff had to count 40% of the population. He is hoping to increase the response rate by just 2%, which will save $60 million.
“We count everybody. There are no exceptions. It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are…or where you came from…there is no discrimination in the Census,” said Quinn.