Ed Towns
Edolphus "Ed" Towns (b. July 21, 1934) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Towns was elected by voters from New York's 10th Congressional District.
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 was a "moderate Democratic leader."[2]
Biography
Towns was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina. He earned a B.S. from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1956, and an 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 who 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 finance summary
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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.[11]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, 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 calculated net worth[12] increased by 132.15% from 2010.[13]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, 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]
Voting with party
November 2011
Ed Towns voted with the Democratic Party 94.8 percent of the time, which ranked 23rd among the 192 House Democratic members as of December 2011.[17]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Ed + Towns + New York + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
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 (dead link) official U.S. House site
- Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roll Call, "New York: Edolphus Towns Retiring After 15 Terms," April 15, 2012
- ↑ GovTrack, "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," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Edolphus Towns," accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Edolphus Towns (D-NY), 2011," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "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," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ 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 ' |
