Council Meeting on Tax Refund Fraud: Still Going
The overwhelming consensus so far at today's D.C. Council hearing on the recent theft of what looks to be $30 million-plus from the District's tax coffers? The scandal has damaged the reputation of the city government, and the council members are pissed.
While most statements have clung to the nasty tidbits of information we already know (the enormity of the crime, that an auditor's warnings may have been ignored) and palliative cliches, council members provided a few depressing and harrowing new viewpoints. Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) stated that the incident led one of her constituents to conclude that this will probably cause D.C. to lose steam in the push for representation in Congress. Jim Graham (Ward 1) pointed out that there are businesses in the city - specifically restaurants on U Street - that can't pay their rising real estate tax costs, while D.C. governmental officials are running around spending millions on Bentleys and tacky Neiman Marcus scarves.
Photo by Eye Captain
CFO Natwar Gandhi's leadership was questioned over and over regarding a lack of internal controls. Mary Cheh (Ward 3) hit hardest: "We've all heard that [Gandhi] is not a policy maker, but just a beancounter...but even if you are a beancounter, you need to count the beans. And the beans weren't counted."
Only one member of the Council came to a faint defense for Mr. Gandhi - Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (Ward 5) - but the consensus at the meeting seems to be that throwing a handful of individuals under the bus will not be sufficient. Ward 8's Marion Barry was sure that "there's no way that only two employees would know about this" and assured potential tipsters that "you're not snitching, you're doing your duty to the District of Columbia by coming forward." When Marion Barry tells you to start snitching, you just know the crime is serious.
Councilwoman Bowser likely summed up the atmosphere best: "They robbed us - and I fear the amount will grow even greater."
The hearing is still going on over at the Wilson Building. Loose Lips (aka Mike DeBonis) over at City Paper is doing the yeoman's work of live-blogging the entire affair. You can also stream the hearing live from Channel 13.