Ed Towns
Encyclopedia
Edolphus "Ed" Towns is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1983, and the former Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. The district is based in Brooklyn
and includes the communities of Fort Greene
, Bedford-Stuyvesant
, Brownsville
, Mill Basin
, Cypress Hills
, East New York
and Canarsie
.
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 worked 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 1970, he ran for New York Assembly District 38, and was defeated in the Democratic primary by John Mullally 75%-25%. In 1972, he ran in District 40 and was defeated in the Democratic primary by Edward Griffith
, who won the primary with a plurality of 37%.
After redistricting, Towns ran for the open seat in the Brooklyn based New York's 11th congressional district
. Towns won the primary with a plurality of 48%. He won the general election with 84% of the vote. He has never won a general election campaign with less than 85% of the vote. He has won the Democratic primary with at least 60% of the vote in all but three times (1998, 2000, and 2006).
From 1996-1998, Towns got into a rivalry with Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Clarence Norman. In addition, he has received criticism for endorsing Republican Rudy Guiliani for Mayor of New York City
in 1997. He got a primary challenge from Barry D. Ford, a 35-year-old lawyer with the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and Harvard University
alumni.He also faced a challenge from political activist Ken Diamondstone. Towns won the primary with 55% of the vote. In 2000, Ford ran for a rematch against Towns and lost 57%-43%.
In 2006, Towns faced Democratic primary challenges from Charles Barron
, a member of the New York City Council
, and Roger Green
, a former member of the New York State Assembly
. Barron was a staunch ally of Al Sharpton
. Green was convicted of stealing $3,000 in taxpayer dollars. Towns defeated Barron and Green 47%-37%-15%. This was Towns' worst primary performance of his career.
Kevin Powell
, a hip hop activist
, writer, and former cast member on the MTV
Reality TV show The Real World
, opted out of challenging Towns for the 2006 Democratic nomination challenging him in 2008 instead. Powell criticized Towns 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 69%-31%.
and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
. On January 7, 2009, Towns' proposed legislation to require information on Presidential donors kicked off the new session of the 111th Congress.
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.
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 PAC
s and opposing net neutrality.
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. Towns fought to have Environmental Protection Agency
testing in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, including neighborhoods outside of the borough of Manhattan
.
Towns delayed the investigation into Countrywide Financial
's VIP loan program when he was the House oversight panel's chairman by refusing to issue a subpoena for Bank of America
records. After The Wall Street Journal
reported that public loan documents indicated Towns had received two mortgages from the VIP program, he issued the subpoena and his office denied wrongdoing.
In December 2010 Towns announced that he would not seek the position of Ranking Minority Member
of the Oversight Committee in the next Congress, even though his seniority and service as Chair would typically result in him filling this post. Reportedly, Towns withdrew because of a lack of support from Nancy Pelosi
, who feared that he would not be a sufficiently aggressive leader of Democrats in an anticipated struggle with incoming committee chair Republican Darrell Issa
.
Reportedly, the White House also wanted Towns to be replaced.
Towns' successor will be Elijah Cummings
, who defeated Carolyn Maloney in a vote of the House Democratic Caucus. Currently Cummings is the 3rd ranking Democrat on the committee behind Towns and Maloney.
In November 2000, Towns was severely criticized by India
for requesting that the White House
"declare India a terrorist state" because of "the pattern of Indian terrorism against its minorities." Towns published a "list of attacks on Christian
s" to bolster his views. The White House
dismissed the allegation, saying there is "no credible evidence" of any government involvement in the massacre.
In 1992, Towns was named in the House banking scandal
, having written 408 checks on an overdrawn bank account.
. They have two children, Darryl Towns
(who had served in the New York State Assembly
but vacated his seat to become commissioner and chief executive of New York State Homes and Community Renewal agency when appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo) and Deidra, who ran in special election to replace her brother, on a self-created ticket, Community First; five grandchildren; and serve as surrogate parents to their nephews Jason and Jereme.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1983, and the former Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district is based in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and includes the communities of Fort Greene
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Part of Brooklyn Community Board 2, Fort Greene is listed on the New York State Registry and on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a New York City-designated Historic District...
, Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
, Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
, Mill Basin
Mill Basin, Brooklyn
Mill Basin is a neighborhood in New York City in the southern portion of the borough of Brooklyn lying along Jamaica Bay and bounded to the north by Avenue U, and to the east, south, and west by the Mill Basin/Mill Island Inlet...
, Cypress Hills
Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, lying north of City Line and south of Cypress Hills Cemetery, in the far northeastern corner of Brooklyn. It is abutted on the west by Bushwick and on the east, across the Brooklyn–Queens border, by...
, East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
and Canarsie
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
.
Early life, education, and early career
Towns was born in Chadbourn, North CarolinaChadbourn, North Carolina
Chadbourn is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,129 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chadbourn is located at ....
and earned his bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master's degree in social work from Adelphi University
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
.
Towns worked as an administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center
Beth Israel Medical Center
Beth Israel Medical Center is a 1,368-bed, full-service tertiary teaching hospital in New York City. Originally dedicated to serving immigrant Jews living in the tenement slums of the Lower East Side, it was founded at the turn of the 20th century. The main hospital location is the Petrie...
, a professor at New York's Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College is a senior college of The City University of New York.Medgar Evers College was officially established in 1970 through cooperation from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn...
and Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
and a public school teacher, teaching orientation and mobility to blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
students. He is also a veteran of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and an ordained Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
. In 1970, he ran for New York Assembly District 38, and was defeated in the Democratic primary by John Mullally 75%-25%. In 1972, he ran in District 40 and was defeated in the Democratic primary by Edward Griffith
Edward Griffith
Edward Griffith was a British naturalist and solicitor. He wrote General and Particular Descriptions of the Vertebrated Animals and translated Georges Cuvier's Règne animal, making considerable additions .-Life:...
, who won the primary with a plurality of 37%.
U.S. House of Representatives
New York's 11th congressional district
New York's 11th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Brooklyn. It includes the neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens...
. Towns won the primary with a plurality of 48%. He won the general election with 84% of the vote. He has never won a general election campaign with less than 85% of the vote. He has won the Democratic primary with at least 60% of the vote in all but three times (1998, 2000, and 2006).
From 1996-1998, Towns got into a rivalry with Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Clarence Norman. In addition, he has received criticism for endorsing Republican Rudy Guiliani for Mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
in 1997. He got a primary challenge from Barry D. Ford, a 35-year-old lawyer with the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
alumni.He also faced a challenge from political activist Ken Diamondstone. Towns won the primary with 55% of the vote. In 2000, Ford ran for a rematch against Towns and lost 57%-43%.
In 2006, Towns faced Democratic primary challenges from Charles Barron
Charles Barron
Charles Barron is a Democratic politician who represents the 42nd District of New York City in the New York City Council...
, a member of the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
, and Roger Green
Roger Green
Roger L. Green represented District 57 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and Bedford-Stuyvesant. He holds a B.S. from Southern Illinois University....
, a former member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
. Barron was a staunch ally of Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
. Green was convicted of stealing $3,000 in taxpayer dollars. Towns defeated Barron and Green 47%-37%-15%. This was Towns' worst primary performance of his career.
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell is an American political activist, poet, writer, and entrepreneur. Powell is also a nationally recognized activist who speaks against violence against girls and women, appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in March 2009...
, a hip hop activist
Hip Hop Activism
Hip hop activism is a term coined by the hip hop intellectual and journalist Harry Allen. It is meant to describe an activist movement of the post- baby boomer generation....
, writer, and former cast member on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Reality TV show The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
, opted out of challenging Towns for the 2006 Democratic nomination challenging him in 2008 instead. Powell criticized Towns for supporting Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the Democratic presidential primaries, with some constituents saying that "he is out of touch". Towns defeated Powell 69%-31%.
Tenure
Towns also serves on the Energy and Commerce CommitteeUnited States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to blacks, and its chair in the 112th Congress is Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.-Aims:...
. On January 7, 2009, Towns' proposed legislation to require information on Presidential donors kicked off the new session of the 111th Congress.
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.
In the past, Towns has been targeted by various Democratic Party constituencies, including factions led by his political rival Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
, 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 PAC
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
s and opposing net neutrality.
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
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
has honored him for his efforts in fighting to secure federal funds for the restoration of Prospect Park. Towns fought to have Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
testing in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, including neighborhoods outside of the borough of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Towns delayed the investigation into Countrywide Financial
Countrywide Financial
Bank of America Home Loans is the mortgage unit of Bank of America. Bank of America Home Loans is composed of:*Mortgage Banking, which originates purchases, securitizes, and services mortgages. In 2008, Bank of America purchased the failing Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion...
's VIP loan program when he was the House oversight panel's chairman by refusing to issue a subpoena for Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
records. After The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
reported that public loan documents indicated Towns had received two mortgages from the VIP program, he issued the subpoena and his office denied wrongdoing.
In December 2010 Towns announced that he would not seek the position of Ranking Minority Member
Ranking minority member
In United States politics, the term ranking minority member refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This position is sometimes referred to as ranking member. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the chairman,...
of the Oversight Committee in the next Congress, even though his seniority and service as Chair would typically result in him filling this post. Reportedly, Towns withdrew because of a lack of support from Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, who feared that he would not be a sufficiently aggressive leader of Democrats in an anticipated struggle with incoming committee chair Republican Darrell Issa
Darrell Issa
Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
.
Reportedly, the White House also wanted Towns to be replaced.
Towns' successor will be Elijah Cummings
Elijah Cummings
Elijah Eugene Cummings is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes just over half of Baltimore City, as well as most of Howard County...
, who defeated Carolyn Maloney in a vote of the House Democratic Caucus. Currently Cummings is the 3rd ranking Democrat on the committee behind Towns and Maloney.
In November 2000, Towns was severely criticized by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for requesting that the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
"declare India a terrorist state" because of "the pattern of Indian terrorism against its minorities." Towns published a "list of attacks on Christian
Anti-Christian violence in India
Anti-Christian violence in India refers to religiously-motivated violence against Christians in India, usually perpetrated by Hindu nationalists.The acts of violence include arson of churches, re-conversion of Christians to Hinduism by force and threats of physical violence, distribution of...
s" to bolster his views. The White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
dismissed the allegation, saying there is "no credible evidence" of any government involvement in the massacre.
In 1992, Towns was named in the House banking scandal
House banking scandal
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the United States House of Representatives allowed members to overdraw their House checking accounts without risk of being penalized by the House bank ....
, having written 408 checks on an overdrawn bank account.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and CommerceUnited States House Committee on Energy and CommerceThe Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Health
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Ranking Member)
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus
- House Democratic Caucus
- Congressional COPD Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Personal life
Towns is married to the former Gwendolyn Forbes and they reside in the Cypress Hills section of BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. They have two children, Darryl Towns
Darryl Towns
Darryl C. Towns is a former representative of the 54th Assembly District in the New York State Legislature, which comprises the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and East New York from 1993 to 2011.-Career:...
(who had served in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
but vacated his seat to become commissioner and chief executive of New York State Homes and Community Renewal agency when appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo) and Deidra, who ran in special election to replace her brother, on a self-created ticket, Community First; five grandchildren; and serve as surrogate parents to their nephews Jason and Jereme.
External links
- U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns official U.S. House site
- Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...