Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells isn’t much of a firebrand, that much we know.

While more conflict-minded colleagues lately have not been shy about throwing rhetorical bombs in the direction of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Wells has been content to stay above the fray. He’s kept his head down, passed his bag bill, and stayed in the good graces of Hizzoner.

So what’s up with Wells spraying words like “breach of public trust” and “dereliction of responsibility” at an agency oversight hearing last week?

The instrumentality that’s driven him to this point is the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp. (CYITC), a body created under the watch of Mayor Anthony A. Williams to pool public and private money and then hand it out to worthy groups serving the city’s young people. It has an independent board of seven directors overseeing its activities—four appointed by the mayor, three appointed by the council.

Like so many council-mayor conflicts over the past three-plus years, this one was precipitated by a no-show: Lisa M. Simpson, the chair of the CYITC board, was nowhere to be found at last Thursday’s oversight hearing to answer for how the group is spending millions in city funds.

“I am perplexed as to why anyone would accept this responsibility,” Wells said from the dais, “not just to serve on the board, but to be its chair, its spokesperson, its leader, and not bother to show up where the public gets to hear about the expenditure of its investments.”

Simpson was away on a business trip. Why might it be important that she show her face? One word: earmarks.... Continued