Ed Towns

Infobox_Congressman
name = Ed Towns


date of birth = birth date and age|1934|07|21
place of birth = Chadbourn, North Carolina
occupation= social worker
alma_mater= North Carolina A&T State University, Adelphi University
residence= Brooklyn, New York City, New York
state = New York
district = 10th
term_start = January 3, 1983
preceded = Charles Schumer
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
spouse = Gwen Forbes
children = Darryl Towns
Deidra Towns
religion = Baptist
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=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 ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/ny10_109.gifmap] ) 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.

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.

Rep. 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, Towns serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Towns is responsible for sponsoring, 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. [http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Edolphus_%22Ed%22_Towns]

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.

Recently 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

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. [ [http://brooklynpapers.com/html/issues/_vol29/29_29/29_29green.html "Roger Green must drop out"] ] 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 [ [http://www.r8ny.com/blog/rock_hackshaw/kevin_powell_to_withdraw_from_10th_congressional_race.html "Kevin Powell To Withdraw From 10th Congressional Race"] ] challenged him in 2008 instead. Towns was criticized for supporting Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries, with some constituents saying that "he is out of touch". 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 in New York City. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/us/politics/01dems.html?ref=politics A New Campaign Charge - You Supported Clinton - NYTimes.com ] ] . Towns defeated Powell handily in the September 9th primary election [ [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=23062 "Primary Elections: Big Changes in Brooklyn"] ] .

Committee Assignments

*Energy and Commerce Committee
**Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
**Subcommittee on Health
**Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
*Oversight and Government Reform Committee
**Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement (Chairman)

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. [http://www.indianembassy.org/int_media/nov_2000/rediff_com%20Varsha%20Bhosle%20on%20the%20hidden%20patterns%20in%20J&K.htm]

References

External links

* [http://www.house.gov/towns/ U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns] official U.S. House site
* [http://www.reelectedtowns.com/ Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns] official campaign site
*CongBio|t000326
* [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/H2NY11017 Federal Election Commission - Edolphus Towns] campaign finance reports and data
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Ed_Towns.htm On the Issues - Ed Towns] issue positions and quotes
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cid=N00001082 OpenSecrets.org - Edolphus Towns] campaign contributions
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=H2615103 Project Vote Smart - Representative Edolphus 'Ed' Towns (NY)] profile
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ed_Towns SourceWatch Congresspedia - Ed Towns] profile
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/t000326/ Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Ed Towns] voting record