Friday, March 15, 2002

Ambassador Hertell Welcomes Congressman Towns

SANTO DOMINGO – “Your visit demonstrates once again the close ties which exist between the Dominican Republic and the United States, especially with New York City. These ties are rooted in the hundreds of thousands of Dominicans who live and work in New York, but who never forget their Dominican homeland. These ties have enriched United States culture with the sounds of merengue, and the crack of Sammy Sosa´s bat. It has allows us to comfort each other in our mutual losses after the collapse of the Twin Towers and the tragedy of American Airlines flight 587.” With these emotional words United States Ambassador Hans H. Hertell welcomed Congressman Edolphus Towns to this country during a reception held in the Embassy Residence on Friday, March 15.

Edolphus “Ed” Towns is at present in his tenth period in the United States House of Representatives. He represents the Tenth Congressional District of Brooklyn, New York.

During his visit to this country Congressman Towns participated in a seminar sponsored by the Office for the Promotion of Imports (OPI-RD) and met with President Hipólito Mejía. He also visited the President of the Senate and the President of the Chamber of Deputies. Towns also visted the Clinic for AIDS patients in the Hospital Padre Billini and the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the oldest university in America. Congressman Towns also attended a seminar on money laundering in the Central Bank.

The reception guest list included members of the delegation accompanying him, which is made up of professionals from the areas of business, health, education, and banking. The event was also attended by businessmen and personalities linked to the area of Dominican business, as well as a large representation of officials from the United States Mission.

Ambassador Hertell thanked the Pfizer, an american firm sponsoring the event.

In addressing the group, Hertell said: “ We know that visits like this one will create even stronger ties, as Americans and Dominicans seek new ways to do business together and to resolve common problems, such as AIDS and drug trafficking.”

Congressman Towns has been noted for his support of economic development in his district by helping to get more businesses established in the central areas of the county. He is an active defender of higher education, which he has helped to secure millions of dollars dedicated to establishing scholarships for local schools and universities. He has been widely acclaimed for his work in the area of health care, and is one of the main congressional experts on the subject of AIDS.

Representative Towns is a member of the Congressional Energy and Commerce Committee, where he is the oldest member of the Sub-Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. He has distinguished himself by his special interest in matters related to Internet privacy.

He is also a member of the Sub-Committee on Health, the Sub-Committee on the Environment and Toxic Materials, as well as the Sub-Committee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulations, as well as the Committee for Governmental Reform.

During his tenure in Congress, Representative Towns has been actively involved in the promotion of laws on education, telecommunications, health care, financial services, and the environment.

The Representative has also received numerous recognitions for his legislative work, especially in the area of health care. And educational organizations such as the National Association for Education and the American Association of University Women have consistently congratulated Representative Towns for his support of education.

In environmental matters Representative Towns has sponsored the Democratic initiative of “brownfields” in the 106^th Congress, and again was asked to head the effort to reestablish urban areas which otherwise could offer opportunities and employment for the Tenth congressional district.

Representative Towns stood out as the first Afro-American to serve as Vice President of Brooklyn County. He and his son, Darryl Towns, New York State Assemblyman, achieved the political legacy of becoming the first Afro-American father/son pair to serve simultaneously as government officials in the State of New York.

Congressman Towns has a master´s degree in social work from Adelphi University, and a bachelor´s degree from the A&T State University of North Carolina. He has also received honorary doctoral degrees from Adelphi University, from the University of Long Island, from the Pharmaceutical College, the University of Podiatrics Medicine of New York, from A&T State University of North Carolina, Shaw University, and Virginia Seminary. Congressman Towns was born in Chabourn, North Carolina. He is married to Mrs. Gwendolyn Forbes, with whom he resides in the Cypress Hills Section of Brooklyn. He has two children, Darryl and Deidra, and three grandchildren, Kiara, Jasmine, and Kristian. The Congressman also serves as guardian to his nephews Jason and Jeremy Towns.