Jerry Baker welcomed Kenneth H. Boswell to the WEIS Radio studios via telephone on Thursday morning, and Boswell – appointed by Governor Kay Ivey back in 2017 as the State Director of ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs) – wasted no time in getting down to business regarding the 2020 Census:

Cherokee County will be facing Pike County in the next week of the round-by-round contest – which has been set up in two separate brackets, with the winner moving forward through increasing their Census participation average more than their competitor. 

Each county should strive to up their numbers and it’s vitally important that Alabama does well overall

Boswell also pointed out that the Census isn’t anything to be afraid of; it’s fast, easy, and it’s nothing that prys into your personal life:

The WEIS Radio Road Crew will be on-hand to help you fill out your 2020 Census form, this weekend at the annual Leesburg Day celebration, which kicks-off at 9:00am Saturday.  The entire process only takes around five minutes – it really is that easy.

To hear that interview in its entirety, simply click the link provided:

​Community development and economic development are a strong focus of Kenneth W. Boswell’s career in public service.

In May 2017, Governor Kay Ivey appointed Boswell as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and asked him to put the skills and knowledge he cultivated at the local level to work in her administration’s mission to move Alabama forward.

As ADECA Director, Boswell serves in the Governor’s Cabinet, oversees a staff of 167 and manages an annual budget of more than $165 million. ADECA awards hundreds of grants each year to city and county governments and nonprofit organizations throughout Alabama.

Boswell was serving his fourth full term as mayor of Enterprise when he was selected to lead ADECA. Prior to becoming mayor in 2003, he served as a member of the Enterprise City Council, having been elected to that post in 2000.

During his 14 years as Enterprise mayor, Boswell worked hard to build on the Wiregrass city’s solid foundation of growth and prosperity, earning a positive reputation as one of Alabama’s most aggressive mayors. The city saw steady growth during Boswell’s tenure with a strong focus on economic development. Boswell and his team attracted many new companies to the city creating thousands of jobs in the automotive, aerospace, technical and retail industries.

Enterprise also became an attractive destination for families with a population increase of 31 percent during Boswell’s time as mayor, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city also was named as one of the “Best Alabama Towns to Live in” by a top internet research company.

The city saw many improvements under Boswell’s leadership, including a new civic center, repaved streets, a wastewater treatment system conversion, water system upgrades and new parks. Boswell led Enterprise through a tragic time in 2007 when the city and its residents suffered the consequences of an F4 tornado that killed nine people and caused $307 million in damage. For his leadership during and after the disaster, Boswell received the prestigious Phoenix Award for Public Service After a Disaster at the White House.

Boswell has always sought to lend his skills and experience to help local leaders improve their communities. In 2004, he became a Certified Municipal Official and in 2006 received an Advanced Municipal Official designation by the Alabama League of Municipalities.  In 2013, he graduated from Leadership Alabama, which brings leaders from across the state together to help move Alabama and its communities forward.

Prior to serving as mayor, Boswell had a longtime career as owner of Boswell Insurance Agency Inc. Boswell and his wife, the former Melinda K. Modlin, have been married for 40 years and are the proud parents of a daughter, Alane Boswell Williams, and the proud grandparents of Gavin and Avery Kate.

Alabama Launches Census Bowl Among 32 Counties Statewide

ADECA leading month-long competition to encourage, reward Census self-participation 

MONTGOMERY, AL (Aug. 31, 2020) – The Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs (ADECA) and Alabama Counts! announced today that it will launch a Census participation competition — deemed the Alabama Census Bowl — on Sept. 2 among 32 counties throughout Alabama with low self-response rates. The competition will last for four weeks, ending Sept. 30, the final day that households across the state and nation can participate in the 2020 Census. Winning counties can receive up to $65,000 to benefit their public school systems. 

Counties will compete in a March Madness-style, head-to-head challenge, with counties facing off against others in a weekly bracket system – with 16 counties in the East Bracket and 16 in the West Bracket. Only the counties with the biggest increase in self-response rates for that week will advance. 

“We are close to the final buzzer on Census 2020, and the Alabama Census Bowl is an excellent way to drive our state’s self-response rate up — all while benefitting public schools,” said Kenneth Boswell, Alabama Counts! Chairman and ADECA director. 

Census Bowl winners will receive monetary rewards based on final event standings. Elite Eight Runner-Ups will receive $20,000 each, Final Four Runner-Ups will receive $30,000 each, Second Place will receive $45,000, and the overall Census Bowl Champion will receive a total of $65,000 to benefit its public-school systems. Prizes will be awarded in October 2020.

“This is a unique way for counties to raise money for their schools, which can help with programs and projects benefitting deserving Alabama students,” added Boswell. “The grants can be used toward things like new technology, supplies or materials for classrooms.” 

Alabama counties set to participate in the Sept. 2-30 Census Bowl include: Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Cherokee, Choctaw, Conecuh, Coosa, Crenshaw, Clarke, Dallas, DeKalb, Greene, Hale, Henry, Lamar, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, and Winston. The 32 counties selected were those with the lowest census self-response rates based on the July 24 self-response data provided by the U.S Census Bureau. 

For more information and to view the official bracket, please visit alabama2020census.com/census-bowl [2].