Photo by squidpants.

D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry isn’t the only public official to run up a sizable tab of unpaid tickets — according to a report in the Washington Examiner, the leaders of several District agencies have racked up nearly $2,500 in citations on city-owned and leased vehicles. Freeman Klopott reports that various D.C. agency heads, such as Department of Transportation Director Terry Bellamy and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Jesus Aguirre have earned citations while operating their city-provided vehicles.

Klopott also reports that City Administrator Allen Lew is driving a new 2011 Chevy Tahoe SUV — news which will likely turn up the heat in the ongoing investigation by the D.C. Council into the city’s management of its vast fleet of vehicles:

“With the exception of the mayor, no one in District government, or working for the District government, should have a car,” Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans said after hearing of the various vehicles agency directors have. Evans said if there’s a need for a special exception, it should be brought to the council’s attention. “When I hear that there’s vehicles bought in 2011, I am appalled.”

The 2011 Tahoe driven by Lew appears to fall into that category.

Evans’ somewhat hollow dramatics aside, a statement released by Lew’s claims that the Tahoe is justifiable because it allows the City Administrator to “move around the city, often during inclement weather or during other operational responsibilities.” Klopott’s report also notes that Mayor Vince Gray chief of staff Gerri Mason Hall is apparently the individual who is using the 2009 Smart Car that former mayor Adrian Fenty often used to scoot around town.