Sunday, November 25, 2007

As a fuller picture of the scandal begins to emerge from the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, the elected leaders of the District government should resist the temptation to give in to the growing yet indiscriminate clamor for Natwar M. Gandhi's resignation ["As Council Launches Probe, Gandhi's Job Appears Less Secure," Metro, Nov. 21].

Tossing Gandhi overboard to hold him "accountable" for the larcenous behavior of midlevel employees in the tax collector's office would amount to a triumph of symbolism over common sense. It would be like throwing the pilot out of the plane because the cabin crew was caught stealing money from the passengers. The point is made, but everybody winds up dead. Gandhi's removal would ultimately punish the residents of the District of Columbia.

Clearly, Gandhi has made some mistakes in his response to this incident, and he must take some measure of responsibility for what has happened. But as Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and others have noted, we must look at the sum of his contributions to the District and examine in practical terms what the consequences would be if he were to abruptly leave.

As Governing magazine said this month in recognizing Gandhi as one of its nine public officials of the year, he "has come to embody fiscal rectitude in Washington." For more than a decade, Gandhi has brought fiscal discipline to chaos and dysfunction. Together with then-Mayor Anthony A. Williams, D.C. Council member Jack Evans and former council chairman Linda W. Cropp, Gandhi led the District out of a sea of deficit spending and low bond ratings to 10 consecutive balanced budgets, a cumulative fund balance of $1.4 billion and an A-plus bond rating. More than anyone else -- with the exception of Williams -- Gandhi has emerged as the face of fiscal discipline and economic recovery for Washington.

Gandhi has charmed Wall Street. He has gained the confidence of key congressional leaders and developed personal relationships with them all. He has professionalized and modernized the operation of the office of the chief financial officer. He has shown the highest possible level of integrity. He is an articulate, passionate and effective advocate for the District. He is a tremendous asset to the city.

Some will argue that because this scam started during the time Gandhi himself was overseeing the Office of Tax and Revenue, he should be removed. At that time, the District government was operating under the authority of the federally appointed D.C. Financial Control Board. Gandhi was sent in to reform the tax office, which had become so inept that it couldn't even send out tax bills to property owners or process income tax returns for residents. Gandhi turned the office around quickly, providing the revenue engine that was needed to arrest the District's runaway deficit. He was chest-deep in fixing a computer system that had failed to work as promised and in implementing technological improvements that went on to receive national recognition. It is unfair to compare the Office of Tax and Revenue of today with the nightmare that existed 10 years ago. There were no systems in place back then that would have uncovered this sophisticated scam.

As Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent Gray have noted, Gandhi should be judged on his full contribution to the District -- not on a single incident. If Gandhi is forced out, how will the District guarantee the smooth collection of the $3.5 billion that the city needs to take in between now and April 1? How will Wall Street and Congress react to his departure? Who better than Gandhi could be found to fix the mess that has been uncovered at the tax office? And, most important, who would replace him?

Fenty and the council should have the benefit of all the facts. No doubt they will get to the bottom of what happened and how it happened. But, for now, they should keep their eyes on the big picture and refrain from taking any irreversible action.

-- Tony Bullock

Washington

The writer was communications director for District Mayor Anthony A. Williams. He is executive vice president at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.