Rep. Edolphus ``Ed'' Towns, a liberal Democrat from Brooklyn, N.Y., was elected chairman Wednesday of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 102nd Congress. ``It's official. You can give me your condolences,'' Towns joked after the vote. He will succeed Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, D-Calif. Towns, elected to a fifth term last month, said the caucus will meet early in the new Congress to discuss its goals. ``The civil rights bill will be something we will push very hard very early in the Congress,'' he said in an interview. The bill was defeated this year when the Senate failed, by one vote, to override President Bush's veto. Towns noted that the caucus will have 26 members next year, the most since it was founded in 1970. In addition, it will have its first Republican U.S. representative ever: freshman Gary Franks, R-Conn. ``We look forward to working with him,'' Towns said. ``It might take us a little longer to get things done, but that's good.'' Towns, 56, was elected to Congress in 1982 from a diverse district that includes the impoverished Bedford-Stuyvesant section as well as the wealthier Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. In Congress, Towns has established himself as a solid liberal, in touch with his constituents but above the political infighting of his district.