- Gregory W. Meeks
Infobox_Congressman
name =Gregory Meeks
date of birth= birth date and age |1953|09|25
place of birth=New York City, New York
occupation= attorney, judge
alma_mater=Adelphi University ,Howard University
residence=Queens, New York City, New York
state =New York
district = 6th
term_start=February 3 ,1998
preceded =Floyd Flake
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
spouse = Simone Marie Meeks
religion =African Methodist Episcopal Gregory Weldon Meeks (born
September 25 ,1953 ), American politician, has been a liberal Democratic member of theUnited States House of Representatives since 1998, representingNew York's 6th congressional district , which includes most of SoutheasternQueens including Jamaica, Laurelton, Rosedale, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, andFar Rockaway , as well asJohn F. Kennedy International Airport . His district is made up mainly of middle-classAfrican-American communities, but also includes a small part of Ozone Park and part of Howard Beach known asOld Howard Beach , both of which are mainly made up of middle-classItalian-Americans . He also represents much of Kew Gardens and northern Richmond Hill, middle-class white and South Asian neighborhoods.Early life and early professional career
Born in East Harlem,
New York City and raised in a housing project, he attendedAdelphi University and obtained a degree inLaw fromHoward University . He worked as an Assistant District Attorney and Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York before joining the Investigations Commission to investigate official misconduct andorganized crime . He then was Supervising Judge for the New York State Workers Compensation System.Elected official
He was elected to the
New York State Assembly in 1992. He was elected to Congress in a special election to replace right-wing DemocratFloyd Flake , a congressman, reverend, and real estate developer who was retiring to focus on his church's real estate holdings. Meeks currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House International Relations Committee. He is a member of theCongressional Black Caucus and of theNew Democrat Coalition and supports the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping programs.His wife Simone was recently considering a 2009 run for New York City Council. However, Meeks publicly announced that he would be supporting a male candidate, not his wife, in that election.
Meeks received a "C" on the
Drum Major Institute 's 2005 on middle-class issues despite representing an overwhelming middle-class district. [http://www.drummajorinstitute.com/congress/drum-major-voting-summary.php?name=Meeks&state=NY&database=house Congressional Scorecard]Meeks is a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha , the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. [http://politicalgraveyard.com/group/alpha-phi-alpha.html]Committee Assignments
*Committee on Financial Services
**Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
**Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
*Committee on Foreign Affairs
**Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment (Vice-chair)
**Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight
**Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
*Co-chair of the Dialogue Caucus
*Co-chair of the Malaysia Caucus
*Co-chair of the Middle East Economic Partnership Caucus
*Co-chair of the Services CaucusPhilippine Visit
On August 25, 2007,
Silvestre Reyes , chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence and the armed services committee and 4 other US Congressmen visited American troops deployed in the southernPhilippines to overview the US-Philippines relationship. Reyes headed the bipartisan delegation which includedNew Jersey Rep.Rodney P. Frelinghuysen , member of appropriations committee and the select intelligence oversight panel;New Mexico Rep.Heather Wilson of the committee on energy and the intelligence committee;New York Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, a Democrat, of the financial services and international relations committees; andMaryland Rep.Dutch Ruppersberger of the appropriations and intelligence committees. They drove to the base of the Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP), a US-led body, which trains Filipino soldiers against terror, in Barangay Upper Calarian. [ [http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=84644 Inquirer.net, US congressmen visit troops in Mindanao] ]Letter to "Tirofijo"
On December 20, 2007 along with 2 other US representatives (Bill Delahunt, James McGovern) Gregory W. Meeks wrote a letter thanking the head of the leftist Colombian guerilla FARC (Revolutionary army of Colombia, in Spanish) for the release of evidence that confirms the survival of several of the 45 hostages that the terrorist groups holds captive (including 3 US citizens), some of them for over a decade.The group is considered a terrorist organization by the US government and the European Union. The terrorist are currently demanding for the release of the captives the surrender of Colombian territory; this demand is vehemently rejected by the current democratically elected Colombian government. [ Congresistas de E.U. escriben a 'Tirofijo' y le agradecen pruebas de supervivencia, http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3868513.html]
Congressional Auto Lease
It was recently noted by the New York Times that Meeks utilizes the option to use tax dollars to lease a car, for use as a member of Congress. This option does not exist for Senate members. The lease is forgone by many members of Congress, but Meeks presently holds the most expensive lease among all members. Despite having one of the most compact districts in the entire Congress, with access to public transportation, he currently uses tax dollars to lease a 2007
Lexus LS 460, at $998 per month. Meeks was unwilling to provide further comment when questioned by the New York Times, on the lease arrangement, saying "These are never lighthearted stories." [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01cars.html What Would You Drive, if the Taxpayers Paid? - New York Times ] ]2008 House Primary election
Meeks was criticized for initially supporting
Hillary Clinton overBarack Obama . His House primary election challenger isRuben Wills , a former chief of staff for State SenatorShirley L. Huntley and an organizer Obama. Wills said “I was on board with Obama from Day 1. Meeks had to be dragged across the line.” Some suggest that a young black political class is seeking to assert the neighborhood’s power against what it sees as an older establishment, based in Harlem, that has long exercised disproportionate influence inNew York City . [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/us/politics/01dems.html?ref=politics NY Times Advertisement ] ] [ [http://www.qgazette.com/news/2008/0716/political_page/014.html Obama Forces Back Challenges To Meeks In SE Queens Primary | www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette ] ]External links
* [http://www.house.gov/meeks/ U.S. Congressman Gregory W. Meeks] official U.S. House site
* [http://www.congressmangregorymeeks.com/ Congressman Gregory Meeks] official campaign site
*CongBio|m001137
* [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/H8NY06048 Federal Election Commission — Gregory Weldon Meeks] campaign finance reports and data
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Gregory_Meeks.htm On the Issues — Gregory Meeks] issue positions and quotes
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cid=N00001171 OpenSecrets.org — Gregory W. Meeks] campaign contributions
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BS022320 Project Vote Smart — Representative Gregory W. Meeks (NY)] profile
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greg_Meeks SourceWatch Congresspedia — Greg Meeks] profile
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m001137/ Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Gregory Meeks] voting recordReferences
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