Submission Information
- Submitter Name: Leobardo Estrada
- How Submitter Knows Applicant: I worked with him in the past and more recently as well.
- Submitted on: 07/21/2010
Comments
Mr. Vince Barabba is someone I have known for over 20 years. In the mid-1070s I served as a Special Assistant to the Chief of the Population Bureau and spent many hours in meetings as the Census Bureau was trying to determine the race and ethnic questions for the up-coming 1980 Census. As Director of the Census Bureau, Mr Barabba was constantly under fire by those who did not want changes, by those wanted changes and those who wanted no race/ethnic item at all. Mr. Barabba defended our work before Congressional committees, in public forums and responded personally to the leaders of various ancestry groups.
I returned to the Census Bureau two years later to aid in managing the 1980 Census. When one sees this process from within, one cannot help but to be impressed by the immensity and complexity of the enumeration process. Again, as Director of the Census Bureau, Mr. Barabba managed the process and responded to the inevitable daily crisis in the fieldwork. During this time I worked as an Special Assistant to the Deputy Director and had an even greater opportunity to see how well Mr. Barabba was able to manage different viewpoints and to act decisively when needed. I was often sent to the field to deal with issues arising from low income and ethnic/racial communities. Mr. Barabba made sure that all such concerns were dealt with swiftly.
I support his appointment to the Commission for three primary reasons: 1) he is a reasoned and thoughtful person who conducts himself well among others and likes to ensure that the deliberative process goes the full course. 2) he is a long time resident of California and he has developed a sense of the diversity of regions, people and issues that affect the state; and 3) his is a person of high integrity.