Ken Diamonstone
Powell Rages Against Towns in One-Candidate Debate
Last night, former Real World star and current congressional candidate Kevin Powell showed up at a public forum and endorsement vote hosted by Democracy for New York City looking for a fight with the incumbent, Representative Ed Towns. He didn't get one.
With only one candidate present, Ken Diamondstone (who recently abandoned a planned primary challenge to State Senator Marty Connor) served as the somewhat superfluous moderator.
The small crowd (crowd estimate: 12) met in a candlelit corner of the Boat Bar in Carrol Gardens. Surrounded by buoys and forced to yell over Buzzcocks played very loudly over the speakers in the bar, Powell gave a speech and took questions and blasted Towns for not being there.
“I think it is unfair and unwise for Mr. Towns not to show up even though we haven’t gotten to the district process,” he said.
It wouldn't be the first time Towns took a low-profile approach to a re-election campaign. Nor would it be the first time one of his challengers complained loudly about it. In 2006, both Charles Barron and Roger Green ran against him, and consistently criticized Towns' failure to show up for events. The final result: Towns 19,469, Barron 15,345, Green 6,237. read more »
