Census Overlooks Slovenian Community

The borough of Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota--otherwise known as the Slovene National Benefit Society--has a recreation hall, a pool and a liquor license.

But no people--at least officially.

The dozen or so people who live in this tiniest of Pennsylvania towns say they weren’t around when the census taker visited. They thought she would come back, but she didn’t, so the 2000 Census has S.N.P.J.’s population as zero.

“They kind of lost us in the shuffle, I guess,” said Susan Krispinsky, the borough secretary.

According to preliminary estimates, the Census Bureau missed 6.4 million to 7.6 million Americans in last year’s count. It missed 14 here--12 adults and two children, one more than the population of 13 recorded in 1990.

Phil Lutz, assistant regional manager of the Census Bureau’s office in Philadelphia, said the count was likely a “misallocation.” He said the borough can contact the bureau to rectify the oversight.

But Krispinsky said no one is really upset because, well, this isn’t your typical borough.

Formed in 1978, the 500-acre municipality 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh is named for the society, which owns the land.

The society itself is a fraternal order founded in 1904 to provide life insurance to Slovenian immigrants. Its headquarters is near Imperial, about 20 miles from the recreation area the group began developing in the mid-1960s.

The municipality seceded from North Beaver Township, with officials figuring it might be the easiest way to control development--and get its own liquor license, Krispinsky said.

The borough has no ordinances and levies no taxes. S.N.P.J. residents still pay their taxes to North Beaver Township.

The borough is really more of a recreation area, with 60 rental cabins, 115 mobile home slots and a man-made lake. It is open to the public as a summertime resort and facility for bingo, weddings and dances. It also plays host to two festivals--Slovenefest in July and Octoberfest in September.

Society members--who join by purchasing the group’s life insurance--get discounted rates and other perks. But most don’t actually live here.

Jeff Wisneski, a borough councilman and maintenance director of the recreation center, his wife and two children are the only residents who live at S.N.P.J. year round. Other residents are less traditional, like borough councilwoman Judy Moses, who lives 10 miles away but put her S.N.P.J. trailer address on her voter registration card two years ago.

“They needed voters and they asked me if I would change my residency,” she said. “I have a home in New Castle, but I also have a trailer here, and being that I’m here most of the time, that’s why I did it.”

The borough has a mayor and three council members only because S.N.P.J. needs them--and a handful of voters--to remain a borough. Office holders work free and run unopposed write-in campaigns because that’s easier than gathering 10 registered voters to sign the petitions needed to get on official ballots.

State codes were amended in 1992 to prohibit such arrangements by requiring boroughs to have at least 500 residents, said Shelly Houk, research director for the Pennsylvania State Assn. of Boroughs.

But S.N.P.J. is grandfathered in and will remain a borough as long as they continue to hold elections and keep a roster of voters--however small.