LTE: Census appreciation

Editor, Gettysburg Times,

I appreciate the prominent coverage given to the results of the Census and the undue prominence implied to Complete Count Committee. I’d like to add a few details to round out the story.

First, a clarification on the “99.9%” count statistic. While we are very confident that the Adams County number matches the statewide and national number, there is a lot of uncertainty about what that “99.9%” number actually means. We are trying to clarify that with the Census folks right now, but there is a little uncertainty about whether “99.9% as reported by the Census” really means “99.9% of all the people living in the county.” From here, I could go on to a long discussion of methodology that would exceed the 400 word limit. The important thing is, because of the cooperation of Adams County residents, the county will receive its fair share of federal and state resources over the next decade.

The other thing I’d like to clarify is the undeserved prominence I got in this story. The Complete Count Committee was a strong team effort. It was inspired by the steadfast support of our sponsor, SCCAP, and its executive director Megan Shreve and would have been impossible to perform without the members of our core group, Yeimi Gagliardi of Wellspan Community Health, Sarah Weigle of the County Planning Office, Francine Stephens and Leonard Brown, our Census partnership coordinators, volunteer Michele Garnes, and most importantly, my deputy, Lili Peña of SCCAP. In a long career as a manager, I never worked with a better team.

Finally, a thank you to the county commissioners for their support of this effort and to every resident of Adams County. I often said that your country is asking you to do two important things this year: vote if you’re a citizen and fill out the Census. Whether you worked on the door to door enumeration team or served on the Complete Count Committee or just filled out your form, you can be proud of the contribution you made to Adams County.

Leon Reed,
Gettysburg