Photo by Amber Wilkie Photography.

In the wake of this morning’s news that D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown plans to strip Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) of his chairmanship of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, questions are flying as to the wisdom of the move, the impact it may have and if Brown even has the votes to pull it off.

In a statement to DCist, Wells’ Chief of Staff Charles Allen called the move a “lost opportunity” that might lead to a slowdown in progress being made in transportation policy in the District.

“I’m concerned it will slide back a lot of staff momentum being driven on the Council side. For the first time, Tommy had been able to get Ward 7 and 8 to the planning table for DDOT and got WMATA improvements and expansions for several east of the river bus routes,” he added.

“At the end of the day, though, Tommy was putting forward a vision for a livable, walkable city before he had this committee; he’ll do the same after,” said Allen.

Whatever the rationale for Brown’s decision, the optics are simply horrible. Brown is kicking off a game of musical chairs only weeks before the August recess, and for no seemingly good reason. Wells is not only one of the few councilmembers not facing accusations of ethical improprieties, but also one that really seemed to like working on transportation policy. An avid cyclist and bus rider, Wells launched the Rediscover the Bus campaign earlier this year and generally seemed enthused with his place on Metro’s Board of Directors.

Moreover, Brown’s move comes only a week after the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics voted to refer complaints over the financing of his 2008 campaign to the U.S. Attorney for the District, a move that implies possible criminal charges are in the offing. Brown doesn’t have all that much political capital to throw around the Wilson Building these days, and even if he gets the votes he needs, plenty of residents will be asking their respective councilmembers why they voted for a move that appears more like naked political revenge than anything else.

One interesting result from the council reshuffling is that Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) will step up to lead the Committee on Government Operations, where she will be charged with taking over the investigation into the Sulaimon Brown scandal and efforts to pass stronger ethics legislation. An ally of Mayor Adrian Fenty, Bowser has quietly established herself as an independent voice on the council in recent months.