DCSS-Georgetown Hosts Councilman Wells

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

On Monday, January 23^rd, the Georgetown chapter of DC Students Speak hosted DC Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) at their weekly membership meeting.  Speaking to an intimate crowd in Georgetown’s iconic Healy Hall, the event was attended by civic-minded students from Georgetown, American, and GW universities.

“I love that you created this organization,” said CM Wells of DC Students Speak, after turning to student issues near the end of the event.

As perhaps the strongest current advocate for ethics reform and government oversight on the current DC Council, CM Tommy Wells currently represents Ward 6 and drafted new sweeping ethics legislation passed last December, including provisions for impeachment  of councilmembers and tougher penalties for ethical misconduct.  Due in part to his investigations of ethics violations by peers on the Council, Wells was reassigned from his position as Chair of the Transportation Committee to the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, which he said still gives him a large role in city planning.

A former ANC commissioner himself before moving on to the DC Board of Education and eventually the District Council, Wells spoke of his role in District government as a unique administrative challenge.  Doubly charged with administering and creating local law in the many instances where DC acts as a state, including human rights law, same-sex marriage legislation, education, and child welfare, he also deals with municipal matters like potholes, fallen trees, and local licensing. Speaking of his proudest accomplishments during his time on the Council, Wells cited drafting of the “Bag Bill” five cent tax on plastic bags, doubling the number of bikes in the Capital Bikeshare program, ethics reform, and a new citywide referendum aiming to curb further corruption.

While using most of his time to describe his accomplishments in general, Wells turned to student issues before taking questions at the end of his speech, stating that he was impressed with the creation of DC Students Speak and adding that he sees its sustainability as a measure of our potential success.  He said while he believed Mayor Gray and most members of the Council were wrong to oppose Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan as the university was the city’s largest private employer, he said it was probably politically useful for them to do so.

Fielding several questions from the audience, Wells responded to issues of gentrification and sustainable urban development, a potential new Redskins football stadium within District boundaries, and the frequent demonization of students in the public discourse.  Giving a lengthy answer on the challenges coming with gentrification, Wells used the changing H Street Northeast corridor as an example, stating that the government must ensure that potentially priced-out businesses must be given assistance but cannot be subsidized forever. He stated that through using a combination of grants and economic-advice assistance, potentially displaced businesses would be given time to adapt their business models to a changing environment.  Wells did not like the idea of a large new football stadium within DC, calling it a waste of valuable urban space that wouldn’t make the city much money and suggesting instead that the proposed area could be used for public recreational space.

Responding to a question about the role of students in city government and their demonization in the local discourse, Wells stated that it is done because of stereotypes about students and a lack of consequences for doing so.  If students don’t vote or vote locally, there is little incentive for politicians to be responsive to student perspectives and concerns.

Saying the event itself was a good start to changing public perceptions about students and showing city leaders that real interest exists in local issues, Wells said students and groups like DC Students Speak should continue their work of voter registration and encouraging students to take the next step of running for ANC offices to make a real difference in the District community.

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