Head Of NYC's Entertainment Agency Will Lead Census Outreach

NEW YORK — The head of New York City's film, television and advertising agency has two new jobs to help boost participation in the 2020 census. Julie Menin, the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, will serve both as the city's director of the census and executive assistant corporation counsel for strategic advocacy, City Hall announced Wednesday.

In the dual roles, Menin will encourage New Yorkers to get counted in next year's nationwide survey, which may include a question about citizenship for the first time in decades, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said. She'll also spearhead strategies to protect vulnerable New Yorkers from harmful federal actions through tools such as litigation and legislation, according to City Hall.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our effort to count every single New Yorker, and we will pursue every legal avenue to ensure that our democratic ideals are upheld and that justice is served," Menin said at a news conference in Harlem.

Before taking over the Office of Media and Entertainment, Menin served as de Blasio's consumer affairs commissioner for about two years and as chair of Manhattan's Community Board 1 for seven. She has also worked as a regulatory lawyer for Colgate-Palmolive, the consumer products giant.

Her appointment comes as the city and several states pursue a federal lawsuit challenging the citizenship question. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross ordered the question be included to gather accurate data about citizenship, but city officials worry it will discourage immigrants and other vulnerable groups from responding.

The resulting low count of the city's population would affect federal funds for health care, education and other programs that are distributed based on census figures, city officials say. The census count also affects New York's representation in Congress. Menin said the state could lose one to two seats.

"Through Democratic and Republican administrations there has been no question about immigration status," de Blasio, a Democrat, said Wednesday. "Now suddenly it appears, explicitly for the purpose of inhibiting the response to this census and undercounting a lot of people."

New York City's participation rate in the 2010 census was 63 percent, according to Census Bureau figures. Menin said she plans to encourage New Yorkers to participate next year through neighborhood groups, houses of worship, community organizing and other means.

The city has so far committed $5.5 million to census outreach, Deputy Mayor Phillip Thompson said.

(Lead image: Julie Menin speaks at an event in November 2018. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for IFP)