With just 260 days until the start of the federal census in 2010, the U.S. Senate has at last approved the president’s nominee for director of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Republican critics were in no hurry to confirm Robert Grove of the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center. His nomination had languished for more than a month and would still be on the table except for the seating of Sen. Al Franken last week, which gave the Democrats the 60 votes needed to end a Republican filibuster.

Except for a few senate critics, there has been bipartisan support for Groves, who served as the bureau’s associated director in the early 1990s, and who was director of the research center in Michigan.

Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Senate committee that considered the nomination, praised his leadership and professional experience. “Let us get on with the work that needs to be done,” she said.

The census, undertaken every 10 years, provides essential statistics about the United States. Among other things, its data are used to apportion Congressional seats among the states and to distribute federal aid to state and local governments.

Since the political stakes of a census are so high, it is understandable that political leaders take a keen interest in the process.

Groves made political enemies during his term with the Census Bureau by taking note of an apparent disparity in the count of whites and certain minority groups in the 1990 census. He recommended using statistical adjustments to correct the undercount.

Although experts in the field defended this approach, critics warned that bureaucrats were trying to skew the results. The idea was rejected by the census director, and this spring Groves told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that such an option would be “impractical” in 2010.

Despite this assurance, a minority of Republicans continued to resist Groves’ confirmation to the end.

Now that his appointment has taken effect, Groves will be able to oversee the hiring of millions of temporary workers and the opening of field offices around the nation. It will also prepare an advertising campaign intended to encourage participation.

The census, will once again be an expensive and imperfect project. But the end product ”“ data presenting a broad, and also highly detailed portrait of America ”“ deserves the best effort that the bureau can muster.

According to experts in his field, Groves has the leadership and expertise needed for a successful census.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen Schulze Muszynski or Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535 or kristenm@journaltribune.com or nickc@journaltribune.com.