Campaign smoothes way for census count

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County Commissioner Connie Stokes will lead a public relations campaign to encourage county residents to talk to federal census workers.

County CEO Burrell Ellis, who noted that federal grants and other funding are tied to population size, appointed Stokes Wednesday to lead DeKalb’s Complete Count Committee and “maximize” the population count for the 2010 census.

Stokes said many DeKalb residents do not trust the government, so her committee will tap into local leadership networks, such as neighborhood associations, to encourage residents to give their information to the government. She said more than one in five DeKalb residents were not counted in the 2000 census.

“You’ve got to tell people why they need to be counted,” said Stokes, who represents the eastern half of DeKalb. “Because there is a proven, documented mistrust of government.”

Ty Tagami