Census 2020 director, Julie Menin, announced her resignation from the de Blasio administration on Nov. 10, weeks after overcoming the initial phase of the pandemic, a fiscal crisis, and hostility from the Trump administration to achieve record census response rates in New York City.

 

Menin leaves city government after years of service in both the Bloomberg and de Blasio administrations, including commissioner of the department of consumer affairs, commissioner of media & entertainment, executive assistant corporation counsel and redistricting commissioner.

 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio paid tribute to Menin, saying, “Julie Menin has an extraordinary record of public service to her fellow New Yorkers, and I’m immensely proud of everything she has achieved in my administration.” He added, “We’ll miss her hard work and creativity, and I wish her the best of luck with all her future endeavors.”

 

For her part, Menin said it had been a tremendous honor serving the city she loved. “I know New York City’s best days still lie ahead,” she said. “This year’s census was the challenge of a lifetime, and I’m proud to have helped immigrant communities and communities of color make their voices heard this year.”

 

New York City’s census response beat expectations, and surpassed response rates for cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, Dallas, and Baltimore, among others.

 

As reported by Norwood News, efforts to achieve a complete census count in New York City and elsewhere were severely hampered by attempts from the Trump administration to shorten the timeline.

 

After initial conflicting announcements regarding the census end date, on Friday, Sept. 24, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh ordered the Census Bureau to keep conducting the census count until Oct. 31 but a subsequent Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to end the 2020 Census on Oct. 15. Were the city to experience an undercount, it could have potentially lost billions for COVID-19 relief, and up to two seats in Congress and the electoral college, which decides the presidency.

 

In the Bronx, the final 2020 census response rate was 62.7 percent, down from the 64 percent rate achieved in 2010, while in Norwood, the final 2020 census response rate was 65.5 percent, up from the 63.2 percent rate achieved in 2010.

 

In prior roles, Menin helped launch and implement the Paid Sick Leave Law, the Living Wage Law, and the Commuter Benefits Law; negotiated an historic deal to bring the Grammy Awards back to New York City; and launched a non-profit initiative to fund over 10,000 kindergartners with a college savings account.