Thomas Clayton Wells (born February 27, 1957) is an American politician, social worker and lawyer from

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. He was a member of the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

where he served as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

representing Ward 6. Wells is now the director of the District Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). Appointed January 2015, he is chiefly responsible for protecting the environment and conserving the natural resources of the District of Columbia.

Biography

Wells was born in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

in 1957 and received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1979. He then pursued a master's degree in social work, earning an

M.S.W. The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social work ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in 1981. In 1991, he received his J.D. from

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...

Columbus School of Law The Columbus School of Law, also known as Catholic Law or CUA Law, is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic Law ...

. Wells began his Washington, D.C., career in 1985 as a social worker in the District's child protective services agency. After six years with the agency, Wells became the director of the D.C. Consortium for Child Welfare, an organization of 20 nonprofit agencies that serve the city's children and families, until his election to the Council of the District of Columbia in 2006. He also served as a member of

Advisory Neighborhood Commission Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are bodies of local government in District of Columbia, in the United States. The ANC system was created in 1974 through a District referendum (73 percent voted "yes") in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. T ...

6B from 1995 to 2000 and Chair of ANC 6B from 1997-1998. He was elected to serve Wards 5 and 6 on the DC Board of Education from 2001-2006, and was elected to the DC Council in 2006, winning reelection in 2010. In 2013, he announced he would not seek another term in his council seat and would instead run for mayor of the District of Columbia. Wells' chief of staff, Charles Allen, decided he would run for Wells' seat on the Council. Wells has been married to Barbara Wells since 1988 and is a member of Christ Episcopal Church.

Elections

Wells defeated Will Cobb (I) and Antonio (Tony) Williams (R) in the 2006 elections with 62% (8,992) of the vote compared to Cobb's 27% (3,908) and Williams' 11% (1,564). Wells was re-elected for a second term in 2010. Wells defeated Jim DeMartino (R) in the 2010 election with 85% (16,256) of the vote, compared to DeMartino's 14% (2,674).

References

External links

Tommy Wells for Mayor
campaign site
Hill Rag Interview, June 2006The Washington Post ArticlesLinkedIn Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Tommy 1957 births American Episcopalians Columbus School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Living people People from Austin, Texas University of Alabama alumni University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni Members of the Council of the District of Columbia Washington, D.C., Democrats Washington, D.C., government officials