Over the past several months, I have been working closely with our local Census offices to ensure that our Capital Region achieves a full and accurate count for the 2020 Census this Spring. I have partnered with Census officials and local leaders and hosted events and roundtable discussions in each county of Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady in order to inform our communities.

The stakes of a full count are high, impacting federal funding over the next decade for our local schools, hospitals, fire departments, transportation systems and much more. And we have our work cut out for us. Regular readers of my newsletter will know that U.S. Census officials have predicted a significant undercount in our region with areas in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Amsterdam at the highest risk. If these estimations prove true, our region will lose out on key funding for community resources, infrastructure and development, educational programs and more for the next ten years.

Here’s the good news: my friends at the Census tell me that we are in need of many more Census takers for our Capital Region, and they want to hear from you! These jobs come with a weekly paycheck and have flexible hours and paid training. I’m told that Census Takers in the Capital Region can expect to be paid $20.00 per hour.

The U.S. Census dates back to the founding of our country. Our Constitution mandates a complete count of every person living in the United States. The population data collected each decade through the Census impact hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding and program eligibility for schools, hospitals, fire departments and transportation systems. Hundreds of programs, dozens of which provide our Capital Region with essential services, rely on these federal dollars. Congressional districts across our nation are essentially in competition for these resources, so getting our count right is especially important.

The Census recruitment weekend for our Capital Region is happening right now and continues through this Sunday, January 26^th. Most counties in our district have only reached about 50 percent for the Census recruitment goals.

To apply, visit the U.S. Census Bureau Career Site, or call 1-855-JOB-2020.

We all need to do our part to make sure our communities are counted. In addition to serving on our Capital Region Census team, each and every one of us can do our part by: 

• Responding to census mailings, complete census questionnaires online, respond to census takers who reach out;
• Encouraging others to respond when asked;
• Helping people reach libraries and community centers for internet access; and
• Contacting local leaders to ask about their work to count their communities.
  

When our founders assigned us the awesome responsibility of counting every single person in our nation, they pushed us to ask important questions about who we are, what we believe in and how we choose to live. We owe it to ourselves to rise to this challenge and answer their call.

It is more important to ever to spread the message; the Census is safe, easy, important and urgent!

My deepest gratitude to those working to make sure our Capital Region is counted. Know that your efforts and your input are significant and will be felt by all in our community for years to come.