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Ed Towns
| Ed Towns | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, New York, District 10 | ||
| Former member | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 1983-January 3, 2013 | ||
| Party | Democratic | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 4, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 2, 1982 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Deputy President, Borough of Brooklyn, New York | ||
| 1976-1982 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University | |
| Master's | Adelphi University | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Army | |
| Years of service | 1956-1958 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | July 21, 1934 | |
| Place of birth | Chadbourn, North Carolina | |
| Profession | Social Worker | |
| Net worth | $556,005 | |
| Religion | Baptist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
In April 2012, Towns announced he would not run for re-election in 2012 after 15 terms in office.[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Towns is a "moderate Democratic leader".[2]
Biography
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The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
Towns was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina. He earned a B.S. from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1956, and a M.S.W. from Adelphi University in 1973.[3]
Career
After earning his B.A., Towns served in the U.S. Army from 1956-1958. Towns subsequently worked as an educator at Fordham University as well as a social worker. He also served as deputy president of the Borough of Brooklyn from 1976-1982.[4]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Towns served on the following committees:[5]
- Energy and Commerce Committee
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet
Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
- Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Ranking Member)
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Towns voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]
Elections
2012
Towns did not seek re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing New York's 10th District.[7] After a drawn-out redistricting process, Towns announced in April 2012 that he would not run for re-election.[1][8]
According to a March 30, 2012 article from The Washington Post, that notes the top 10 incumbents who could lose their primaries, Towns was the 7th most likely incumbent to lose his primary.[9] The article cites competition from challengers state Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and City Councilman Charles Barron as the main reason behind Towns vulnerability in the primary.[9]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Towns was re-elected to the United States House for a fifteenth term. He defeated Diana Muniz (R), and Ernest Johnson (Conservative).[10]
| U.S. House, New York Congressional District 10 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ed Towns Incumbent |
79.7% | 95,485 | |
| Blank/Scattering | 12.6% | 15,115 | ||
| Republican | Diana Muniz | 6.2% | 7,419 | |
| Conservative | 1.5% | 1,853 | ||
| Total Votes | 119,872 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
| U.S. House, New York, 2010 - Ed Towns Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,632,842 |
| Total Spent | $1,660,794 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $0 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $0 |
| Top contributors to Ed Towns's campaign committee | |
| Microsoft Corp | $18,300 |
| Wyckoff Heights Medical Center | $17,800 |
| UnitedHealth Group | $16,300 |
| Shiel Medical Laboratory | $13,900 |
| SCOOTER Store | $12,550 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Health Professionals | $110,875 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $102,574 |
| Public Sector Unions | $95,750 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $67,550 |
| Lobbyists | $65,000 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Towns paid his congressional staff a total of $1,063,126 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[12]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Town's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $57,012 to $1,054,999. That averages to $556,005, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth increased by 132.15% from 2010.[13]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Towns' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-290,985 to $769,997. That averages to $239,506, which is lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.[14]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Towns tied with three other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 55th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[15]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Towns ranked 38th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[16]
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Ed Towns voted with the Democratic Party 94.8% of the time, which ranked 23rd among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.[17]
Recent news
 |
Know more information about this profile? Submit a bio |
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term "Ed + Towns + New York + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Ed Town News Feed
- Seaside's Last Summer? - New York Times
- Cuomo proposes creation of tax-free zones on SUNY campuses - University at Buffalo Reporter
- Specialty BO Preview: 'Before Midnight', ? - Deadline.com
- When good girls go bad - Irish Examiner
- Muslims and the War on Terror - CounterPunch
- Senate Bill Requires Port Authority to Conduct Noise Study - Patch.com
- The View From an Oklahoma Basement - New York Times
- After the Tornado, a War Zone - New York Times
- Project VALOR: Employing Veterans - Saving Kids - PR Newswire (press release)
- Gunshots on Warm Spring Evenings - New York Times
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
Personal
Towns has been married to the former Gwen Forbes for more than half a century. They have two children: a son Darryl Towns who was elected to 10 terms in the New York State Assembly before being appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as commissioner and chief executive of New York State Homes and Community Renewal; and a daughter Deidra. The Towns have five grandchildren.[18]
External links
- U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns official U.S. House site
- Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roll Call "New York: Edolphus Towns Retiring After 15 Terms," April 15, 2012
- ↑ Gov Track "Towns" Accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "TOWNS, Edolphus, (1934 - )"
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "TOWNS, Edolphus, (1934 - )"
- ↑ U.S Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns "Committees and Caucuses"
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Brooklyn Papers "Barron makes the fight against Rep. Ed Towns a three-way," Accessed December 22, 2011
- ↑ New York Times "Judge Moves Congressional Primary Date to June," January 27, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Washingotn Post "The next Jean Schmidt? The top 10 House incumbents who could lose their primaries" Accessed April 1, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Edolphus Towns 2010 Election Data," Accessed December 15, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Edolphus Towns," Accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Edolphus Towns (D-NY), 2011," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Edolphus Towns (D-NY), 2010," Accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 7, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ U.S Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns "Full Biography"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chuck Schumer |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 10 1993–2013 |
Succeeded by Jerrold Nadler |
| Preceded by James H. Scheuer |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 11 1983-1993 |
Succeeded by Major Owens |
| Preceded by ' |
Deputy President, Borough of Brooklyn, New York 1976-1982 |
Succeeded by ' |
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