Guilford County has now named the members of a committee to end all committees: The list of members on the brand new county committee is already at over 90 and climbing, and it’s such a large and eclectic collection of people from all walks of life that it’s somewhat reminiscent of the Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper’s album cover.
The committee, which is by far the largest one ever created by the county, is the 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, which has been formed to make sure that Guilford County gets as many people as possible to be counted in the 2020 census – so the county will see its fair share of federal and state dollars in the future and will also be represented accurately in other government matters.
The new committee, largely the work of Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing, is certainly not married to the dictum warning of too many chefs – instead, the strategy seems to be the more the merrier. In fact, it seems at times as though the idea is to put everyone in the county on the committee, since, presumably, those people who are on the committee will be sure to answer questions in the census next year.
A subcommittee of the grand committee is scheduled to meet for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in room 122 of the Guilford County Health and Human Services Building on Maple Street in Greensboro. At that meeting, the subcommittee will get the effort off the ground. The committee is seeking creative strategies to inform the public about the importance of taking the census and it’s also seeking ways to assuage the fears of those who may be reluctant to participate.
The committee members include county staff, commissioners, former commissioners, the mayor of Kernersville, religious leaders, representatives of the media, corporate leaders and many people from all walks of life and various local communities.
Some members include Guilford County Commissioners Skip Alston and Carolyn Coleman and former Guilford County Commissioner Ray Trapp. It also includes Guilford County Social Services Director Heather Skeens, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Christensen, Reverend Amos Green and Greensboro City Councilmember Sharon Hightower – just to name a few.
