BY MATTHEW WIKFORS
Special to Pascack Press
In order to encourage residents to fill out the 2020 U.S Census, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna and Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali started a friendly rivalry to see which town will have the higher response rate by the deadline, Sept. 30.
On Sept. 16, the Borough of Montvale uploaded a video, United States Census 2020 Montvale, to its website, featuring residents of different ages, ethnicities, and national backgrounds saying “Count me in” to highlight the importance of having every person counted in the census.
The video also features a message from Misciagna and Ghassali about how, despite their friendly rivalry, “We’re all in this together,” as Misciagna said. Ghassali added, “This is not about Montvale or Park Ridge or anyone else—This is about all of us.”
The U.S. Census is essentially a population count of every person living in the United States. Since 1790, the U.S. Census has been held every 10 years as mandated by the Constitution. It is a way to provide data to the federal government about what sort of funding communities need based on how many people are living there. This funding is used in allocating billions of dollars for schools, hospitals, roads, and many other resources in our communities.
The census results also affect how many seats a state has in the House of Representatives, as that number depends on a state’s population.
You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. The 2020 Census asks a few simple questions about you and everyone who was living with you on April 1, 2020.
As of Sept. 22, Park Ridge is in the lead with an overall response rate of 83.9% (82.3% for East Side and 85.6% for West Side). Montvale was close behind with a response rate of 83%.
According to Ghassali, the previous census response rate for Montvale was 70%, but both he and Misciagna said they’re pushing for a 90% response rate for both of their towns.
To complete the 2020 U.S. Census, visit 2020Census.gov.