The Numbers Game

An anonymous commenter on this post challenged my assertion that CoFoCoDo “at best represents about 200 people out of a Columbia population of 100,000.” The commenter went on to claim that CoFoCoDo has 450 members and that the census estimates Columbia’s population to be 88,812.

The key word for the Census data being “estimate.”

First, lets look at CoFoCoDo’s published membership list of “over 435 members.” Listed amongst those members are County Executive Ken Ulman, and Councilpersons Courtney Watson, Mary Kay Sigaty, and Jen Terrasa.

Wow, that would seem to indicate that CoFoCoDo has the support of both the county executive and the majority of the council members. If that is true then why was it necessary for them to hold a meeting so the council could, as their spokesperson put it “so that the council members could hear their concerns.”

If these same council members are also truly CoFoCoDo members wouldn’t their concerns be the same?

Or could it be that these people are not really members anymore?

When was the last time CoFoCoDo checked in with their members to see if they are still on board with the organization? The membership list on the CoFoCoDo website is at least three years old.

I think I’ll stick with my 200 member estimate.

By contrast, the New City Alliance is barely a month old and already over 600 people have joined as fans on Facebook.

And finally, “estimates” of Columbia’s population vary from 88,112 to 97,200 . I think I’ll stick with my nice round 100,000 number.