Edolphus Towns

Ed Towns
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Chuck Schumer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 11th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	James H. Scheuer
Succeeded by	Major Owens
Chairman of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Henry Waxman
Born	July 21, 1934 (1934-07-21) (age 75) Chadbourn, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Gwen Forbes
Children	Darryl Towns Deidra Towns
Residence	Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Alma mater	North Carolina A&T State University, Adelphi University
Occupation	social worker
Religion	Baptist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1956-1958

Edolphus "Ed" Towns (born July 21, 1934) is an American politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 10th District of New York based in Brooklyn, and including such communities such as Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Cypress Hills, East New York and Canarsie. A Democrat, he has served in the House since 1983. On December 10, 2008, the House Democratic Caucus formally elected Rep. Towns as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The previous chairman Henry Waxman defeated John Dingell to become Energy and Commerce Committee chair.

Early life and family

Towns was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina and earned his bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master's degree in social work from Adelphi University.

Towns' varied professional background includes work as an administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center, a professor at New York's Medgar Evers College and Fordham University and a public school teacher, teaching orientation and mobility to blind students. He is also a veteran of the United States Army and an ordained Baptist minister.

Towns is married to the former Gwendolyn Forbes and they reside in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn. They have two children, Darryl Towns (who serves in the New York State Assembly) and Deidra, five grandchildren; and serve as surrogate parents to his nephews Jason and Jereme.

House of Representatives

In the House, Rep. Towns is Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He also serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. On January 7, 2009, Towns legislation to require information on Presidential donors kicked off the new session of the 111th Congress.[1]

Rep. Towns' past accomplishments include, co-sponsoring or enacting several pieces of federal legislation, including the "Student Right To Know Act," which mandated the reporting of the rate of graduation among student athletes, creating the Telecommunications Development Fund, which provides capital for minority business initiatives, and the development of a federal program for poison control centers. [2]

He has put particular emphasis on arguing in behalf of underserved Brooklyn communities, and has won recognition from several organizations for his efforts. The National Audubon Society has honored him for his efforts in fighting to secure federal funds for the restoration of Prospect Park, and Towns fought to have EPA testing in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks include neighborhoods outside of the borough of Manhattan.

In the past, Towns has been targeted by various Democratic Party constituencies, including factions led by his political rival Al Sharpton, and national and local labor unions, who resent his support for passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which passed the House of Representatives by a razor-thin margin. In addition, he has been heavily criticized for taking money from telecom PACs and opposing net neutrality.

Towns, with former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, and his wife, Gwen Towns

In 2006, Towns faced Democratic primary challenges from Charles Barron-a controversial member of the New York City Council and staunch Sharpton ally-and Roger Green, a former member of the New York State Assembly, who has been convicted of stealing $3,000 in taxpayer dollars. ^[1] He would go on to defeat both candidates by a plurality margin in the Democratic primary. As in past elections, Towns easily defeated his Republican and Conservative party opponents in the 2006 general election, receiving 92% of the vote.

Kevin Powell, a hip hop activist, writer, and former cast member on the MTV Reality TV show The Real World, who opted out of challenging Towns for the 2006 Democratic nomination^[2] challenged him in 2008 instead. Towns was criticized by Powell mainly for supporting Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries, with some constituents saying that "he is out of touch". Towns defeated Powell handily in the September 9 primary election.^[3]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Chairman)
  • As Chair of the full committee, Rep. Towns may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees

Criticism by India

He was severely criticized by India for requesting the White House "declare India a terrorist state" because of "the pattern of Indian terrorism against its minorities." Towns also published a "list of attacks on Christians" trying to bolster his views. The White House dismissed the allegation saying there is absolutely "no credible evidence" of any government involvement in the massacre.[3]

References

External links

• U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns official U.S. House site
• Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign site
• Edolphus Towns at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - Edolphus Towns campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - Ed Towns issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Edolphus Towns campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Edolphus 'Ed' Towns (NY) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Ed Towns profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Ed Towns voting record

v • d • e Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus Diggs • Stokes • Rangel • Burke • Mitchell • Collins • Fauntroy • Dixon • Leland • Dymally • Dellums • Towns • Mfume • Payne • Waters • Clyburn • Johnson • Cummings • Watt • Kilpatrick • Lee