(Columbus) Franklin County Commission President Paula Brooks, Mayor Michael B. Coleman and MORPC's Executive Director Chester Jourdan today appointed and met with the volunteer community leaders who will help guide the Columbus and Franklin County Complete Count Committees heading into the 2010 Census.

"The Census is one of the most important responsibilities of citizens-it is our voice in Washington," said Commission President Paula Brooks. "This data will keep federal dollars here instead of sending it to states like Alaska, California, or Mississippi. This count is the critical difference for education for our children, health care for our elderly, and jobs for ALL of Central Ohio. Working together, I'm certain we can improve Ohio's ranking of 37 out of 50 in our receipt of federal funds."

The Franklin County and Columbus Complete Count Committees' leadership group will help guide education and communication about the importance of the 2010 Census to the City, County and region's residents.

"It's not just about today but about tomorrow. The Census numbers will set the stage for future plans and allow central Ohio to capture every opportunity to provide services to its residents. This only happens once every ten years, ten minutes, ten questions, it's not asking a lot for millions of dollars," states MORPC Executive Director Chester R. Jourdan, Jr.

In the coming weeks, the full committee will be convened, including residents from across the County and all walks of life, including government officials, neighborhood leaders, business, religious, union and non-profit leaders, and media representatives.

"Every resident can stand up and be counted by the US Census, it is one of the easiest ways to make sure that we can fight for every Federal dollar in Columbus for neighborhood projects, health centers, transportation funding and even our public safety forces," said Mayor Coleman. "Our goal is to make it easy and perfectly understood that the Census matters in 2010."

The US Census helps dictate where more than $300 billion in Federal funds go annually and every person not counted costs the community $2,000 to $3,000. The every-10-year count starts April 1, 2010, and will employ 1,000 people in Central Ohio.

"Having every household complete and mail in the Census questionnaire is a serious challenge. Most people listen to the voices they trust in their local community," said Dwight P. Dean. "We are grateful to Mayor Coleman and his Columbus team, the Franklin County Commission President Paula Brooks and MORPC's Mr. Jourdan for their leadership and unwavering support to count every resident here in central Ohio."

1. City of Columbus and Human Services - Charleta Tavares, Columbus City Council member
   • a. Regional / Suburban - Nancy Reger, MORPC
   • b. Homeless Community - Erika Clark Jones, City of Columbus
   • c. Senior Citizens - Fran Ryan, community leader
   • d. Human Services and Foundations - Doug Kridler, Columbus Foundation
2. Educational Community - Dr. Gene Harris, Columbus City Schools Supt.
   • e. Youth to College - Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action

3. New Americans-Guadalupe Velasquez and Abdi Farah of the Columbus Community Relations Commission
4. Community and Neighborhood Groups-Noel Williams, Columbus NAACP
5. Business-Columbus Chamber Steve Tugend and Susan Merryman
6. Faith Community-Former State Representative, Elder Larry Price
7. Media-Mike Thompson, News Director at WOSU and Gilbert Price of the Columbus Call and Post
8. Labor Organizations-Rhonda Johnson, Columbus Education Association

Each Focus Area's committee can grow to meet community needs and make sure that every possible effort is made to reach the area's diverse population.

Citizens who are interested in getting involved with the Complete Count Committee can contact Michael S. Brown, 614-645-6428 or msbrown@columbus.gov, with the City of Columbus for more information.

For information about the Census' operation in Ohio: http://www.census.ohio.gov/