“There’s 10 percent that we lost money that didn’t come to us because they weren’t counted,” said Census Man, who normally goes by Dean Goldberg, a Circle Pines City Council member.
Because the Anoka County city’s population was officially under 5,000, the city did not qualify for key state and federal funding that could help subsidize road and other infrastructure needs. That’s just one reason Goldberg began appearing in his community and so many others as the masked superhero Census Man.
Now, despite the pandemic, Circle Pines’ response rate on the online and mailed Census forms has been high–85-86%–but Goldberg still wants more.
“The good news is: they’re doing really well,” Goldberg said this week. “The bad news is, they’re not where we want them.”
It will be the job of U.S. Census enumerators–in-person canvassers–to locate lower responding communities and neighborhoods and to attempt to count as many people as possible.
“In our community, the hard-to-count community and the easiest to access are those three apartment buildings,” said Goldberg, who also went door-to-door in those communities earlier this year to raise awareness about the Census. “But I have no idea whether that’s a focus of the Census Bureau or not, versus something in Blaine or Shoreview or other places in the area.”
Goldberg said the city and partners, including Centennial Lakes Police Department officers, have sent out information to residents about how to best identify Census employees, who should be wearing plenty of identifying articles.
“These people will be respectful of (residents’) space and be wearing masks and other protective gear that will keep both the citizens and the Census worker safe,” said Goldberg.
He said the process will actually end a month sooner than normal, just because of concerns around COVID-19.
“That means they’ve got to jam,” said Goldberg.
He also continues to remind anyone who will listen that there is a lot on the line for communities like Circle Pines.
“If we don’t make that 5,000 (population), we may be sweating how we are going to make up the couple hundred thousand dollars a year we don’t get from the state,” he said.
