Everything about Ed Towns totally explained
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 (
map
) 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's served in the House since
1983.
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.
In the House, Towns serves on the
Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the
Congressional Black Caucus.
Towns received a "C" on the
Drum Major Institute's 2005
Congressional Scorecard
on middle-class issues.
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.
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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 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.
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) He would go on to defeat both candidates by a plurality margin in the Democratic primary.
Kevin Powell, a
Hip hop activist, journalist, writer, and former cast member on the
MTV Reality TV show
The Real World, who was planning on challenging Towns decided to withdraw from the race in July 2006.
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As in past elections, Towns easily defeated his Republican and Conservative party opponents in the 2006 general election, receiving 92% of the vote.
He 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.
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's absolutely "no credible evidence" of any government involvement in the massacre.
(External Link
)Further Information
Get more info on 'Ed Towns'.
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