For Immediate Release: May 28, 1999

CENSUS BOARD MEETS WITH SECRETARY DALEY
Gilbert Casellas Named New Presidential Co-Chairman

WASHINGTON - The bipartisan Census Monitoring Board met with U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley late yesterday to review the status of preparations for next yearâs decennial census. The meeting was held just hours after President Clinton designated Board member Gilbert F. Casellas to be the new Co-Chairman of the Presidential side of the Board, filling the vacancy created earlier this month when former Co-Chairman Tony Coelho stepped down after being named General Chairman of Gore 2000.

Mr. Casellas, an investment banker, attorney and former president of the Hispanic National Bar Association, has served as a Presidential Member of the Board since its creation last year. His elevation to Co-Chairman means there is still a fourth slot to fill on the Presidential side on the Board, and the White House expects to make that decision soon. "I am honored to be appointed Presidential Co-Chair, and I look forward to working with Secretary Daley and my colleagues on both sides to help build bipartisan consensus for a complete count of the U.S. population," said Mr. Casellas.

He said the meeting with Secretary Daley, Deputy Secretary Robert Mallett and Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Robert Shapiro was "a very positive discussion that focused on the fact that the nonpartisan Census Bureau is dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a fair and accurate census that does not undercount any segment of our diverse society."

The Monitoring Board is an eight-member body, with four members appointed by the Republican leadership in Congress and four by the Administration. Its statutory mandate is to "observe and monitor all aspects of the preparation and implementation of the 2000 decennial census."

Over the past year, the Monitoring Board has held several public hearings in Washington where Census Bureau officials have detailed their operational plans for next yearâs census. In addition, Board members have traveled throughout the country to receive input from state and local governments, as well as community organizations involved in census preparations. In April, the Board issued its first bipartisan report to Congress in which it made several joint recommendations for Congress and the Bureau to consider.

Co-Chairman Casellas said that it "can only be good news" that Congress and the Administration are beginning to overcome their differences on census policy. Last week, President Clinton signed into law a supplemental appropriations bill passed by Congress that fully funds the Census Bureau for the remainder of fiscal year 1999.

"With just 10 months to go before Census Day (April 1, 2000), itâs time for Democrats and Republicans alike to set aside our differences on methodology and focus instead on the huge challenge of encouraging all Americans to participate in this vital civic endeavor." Casellas added that he personally supports the plan developed by the Census Bureau and the National Academy of Sciences to correct the expected undercount of minorities and children through the use of modern statistical methods.

Gilbert F. Casellas is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Swarthmore Group, an investment and financial advisory firm. He previously served as Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as General Counsel of the United States Air Force. He currently serves as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, and as director of both the Hispanic Federation of New York and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. A native of Tampa, Florida, he received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Contact: Mark Johnson (301) 457-9900