After the political forum ended Monday night at the Whitehaven Branch Library, state Rep. Joe Towns Jr. shook a few hands, passed out cards, and left the building feeling upbeat about his candidacy for the 9th Congressional District seat.

The forum, sponsored by the McCorkle Road Neighborhood Development Association Inc. of Memphis, provided candidates in the Aug. 7 state and federal primary elections an opportunity to stump for votes.

Rep. Joe Towns Jr.

It  gave Towns, widely considered a dark horse in the race, a platform to promote himself as an experienced fighter and “the best candidate in this race.”

“Every person will tell you they’re the best,” said Towns, responding to a prepared question from the audience.    

“What gives me the edge is I’m un-bossed and un-bought. I’m not controlled by money or special interests. When it comes down to community issues and special interests, I’m going with the community.”

While the candidates differed on some issues, each one - incumbent Steve Cohen, Atty. Nikki Tinker and Dr. Isaac Richmond and Towns – stated he or she happened to be the best choice.

Towns, considered by many to be a long shot, now has to convince ballot-casting Memphians that he can match up well against the district’s bruising opponents: crime; unemployment; lack of educational opportunity, and lack of access to healthcare.

The fighter in him seizes upon the weaknesses of opponents, and sees an opportunity to win. “All of them have made mistakes,” he said of his fellow contenders.

First elected in 1994 to represent District 84 in the Tennessee General Assembly, Towns believes the combination of political experience and public service has prepared him to work in Congress.

“Steve can’t serve this community like I can. I know how he votes on tough issues when it relates to the total community,” he added. “And Nikki, she has not served the community. And all of a sudden she pops up and wants to serve at the highest level. . .”

Towns believes that to succeed in Washington, politicians have to meet the needs of voters at home and focus on their problems.  If elected, he said he will deliver the same kind of constituent service that cemented Harold Ford Sr.’s reputation.

“I’m the name you know. I’m the name you can trust,” he said.

In It to Win It

Towns first tossed his hat in the congressional race in 2006, but opted out to support former county commissioner Julian Bolton.

”I shared with him that if he didn’t win, my intent was to get back in the race,” said Towns, just in case someone considers him a spoiler. “If he was in the race for Congress now, I wouldn’t be in the race.”

When Towns thinks about how far he’s come, he measures the distance in hard work, family relationships, and public service.

“I’m the oldest of 10,” he explained. “I helped my father raise children after my mom died at 42. My grandmother died six weeks later, and my grandfather died the same year. These people were pillars of strength in my life.

“I was raised to serve and transform this community,” he continued. “My strength has always been with the masses, in the streets, the grass root. I’m blue collar. I’m the average Joe. And there are more average Joes in this community than wealthy people.”

Towns said no one would outwork him in the trenches. 

State Rep. Joe Towns Jr., a candidate for Congress in the 9th Congressional District, is introducing himself to a would-be supporter during a Monday evening political forum at the Whitehaven Branch Library. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

“The doors are always open,” he said. “There are no hinges. When the citizens make it known what they want, I’m going to make it happen. It’s about doing the most good for people in the shortest amount of time.”

As the economy continues to sputter, voters are growing more concerned. Constituents worry about many issues, including the lack of access to higher education, health care and the Iraq war, Towns said.

“Higher education is not serving our people when it continues to get out of reach,” he said. “Health care is too high. We have $46 million people in this country who are under-served with health care.

“While we have to do the war right, we have to get out of that quagmire,” he added. “We have to support our boys; they want to go home. We have to end it because, financially, it’s killing us. And that’s unacceptable.”

Towns, 51, said he is willing to work with colleagues across the aisle, if necessary, to get things accomplished. “I will certainly reach out to the Republicans and follow the core values of myself and the core vales of the Democratic Party,” he said.

The man who has the job he now seeks, incumbent Cohen, has done “okay,” Towns said, but “I think I’m the best man for the job ... and I happen to be a black man,” making reference to race, which has emerged as an issue in this race.

Cohen, who is white and Jewish, is the only member of Congress to represent a majority African-American congressional district.  Some voices in the district, including some members of a local pastors’ organization, have said that the district should be represented by an African American.

“I know this community better than anybody out there,” Towns said. “My blackness gives me a unique perspective. Black people have been at the bottom for so long. [But] we can’t look at a person as being only black.

“There are certain mentalities that aren’t good for our community,” he added. “Certain mentalities in the white community may be better. It depends on the heart of the human being.”

As a longtime member of the General Assembly, Towns said, “I’m not afraid to stand up and fight.”