User Name:
Password:
Forgot Password?
Home | Current Issue | Past Covers | About Us | Contact Us | Write For Us
"A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." - Harvey Mackay, author
Cover Theme: Teens
- What Parents Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Them!
- The Dating Dilemma: Parenting Teens
- Getting Into A Good School: Does Your Kid Have What It Takes?
- Other Side Of The Coin
- Fall Fashion’s Salute To Teen Style
- Conquering The Dance Floor: Two Left Feet Can Still Get It Right
Topic A
- Young India Driving Organized Retailing
Community
- An Avenue Of Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Travel
- The Rock Cut Wonders of Ajanta
- The Rock Cut Wonders of Ellora
Face Time
- Dr. Natwar Gandhi
My Turn
- To React Or Not To React
My Experience
- The Real Education Of An Indian American Teen
Essay
- A Plea For Maturity
Front Row
- The Lobbying Games
- Swimming in VC Money
- Disney Set To Make Hungama
- Saving Tiger
Departments
- Milestones
- Inside the Numbers
- They Said It
- Letters to Editor
Friday March 29, 2024
Face Time:
Dr. Natwar Gandhi
Vol: 1 Num: 4    Fall 2006
Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia, Dr. Natwar Gandhi talks about his job and interests.

He has been called “Dr. No.” Some say he is the man who really runs Washington, not George Bush or Tony Williams. Dr. Natwar M. Gandhi, who calls himself the “supreme bean counter of the nation’s capital,” is the mild mannered, self-effacing CFO of the District of Columbia. Conversation with him is quite pleasurable.

Washington Post said about the National Stadium that wishful thinking on parking and financing won’t do. Is it wishful thinking? The council has put a hard cap on how much money we could spend and has provided $21 million for parking. Unfortunately, the conditions have changed. The zoning commission wants parking to be underground. In a project of more than half a billion dollars you have to make changes. So I would not call it wishful thinking.

DC General, the only public hospital in DC, was closed in 2001. How difficult was it to recommend the closure of a hospital? It was extremely difficult. We have a large number of the population that is not insured and they used DC General. It was an enormous drain on the treasury. So it was decided that it would be better to close the hospital and then think of alternative ways of providing health care that would be more efficient.

You say that DC has a structurally imbalanced tax base. How would you fix it? The way we would like to fix it is to expand city’s tax base. Two thirds of the income that is earned in the city is taxed in Virginia or Maryland. Also about 40% of real estate is tax exempt. But, I do not see ever a possibility of taxing commuters or taxing the federal government.

What major differences do you see in the operation of a government agency in India and in the USA? First of all, I am immensely impressed with the bureaucracy there and with the resourcefulness of the people against overwhelming odds, they manage so well. Problems here are no problems. They are picnics compared to what they face there. The accountability that you see in the government here is to a great extent lacking in India.

Has your leadership style changed over time? Well as I grow old and as I get more experience I hope I am becoming wiser and that I have learned to manage better. As you go higher up in the management you learn to manage better. I have learned to relate myself better to others. Higher your goals, your focus becomes more external. At the same time internally you try to manage people so you learn to get that balance right. And I hope I did that.

Which of your traits do you think enabled you the most to become successful? I try to work with a wide variety of people, try to meet and listen to them on a regular basis. I sit down with them regularly, even with my opponents. Every day I have a breakfast meeting and a lunch meeting with someone. So I think listening to other people is what I consider to be extremely important and that is what helped me a great deal to do my work.

What aspect of your growing up in India has influenced you the most? Well, growing up in India was extremely difficult. I say that I do not find my job – which is among the most stressful jobs in Washington – to be very stressful because compared to India this is picnic. I would say that working in India in most difficult circumstances prepared me a great deal as to how I do my work in this country.

Your critics have called you Chief Fictional Officer. What do you say? Well, I think they are just humoring themselves. When you are in a highly sensitive position you cannot please all. I am often called “Dr. No” because it is my job to tell people no. But, then the overwhelming responsibility of my office is to ensure that the city remains financially viable. That means we can not allow any expenditure that is not properly authorized and appropriated to be spent.

You say that at heart you are a literary person and are a poet. How seriously do you take writing poetry? Well, I take it quite seriously. That is what I always wanted to be. But being a poet doesn’t really feed the children so I decided to do something practical which is to major in accounting. In every free moment – early in the morning and late in the night – I work on my pursuit. I have been lucky to publish two volumes of my poems in India.

You have young grandchildren. What do you treasure most with them? Every moment that I can spend with them is a great blessing of my life. In one way you love your grand children more than your children.

---

 

Home --- Current Issue --- Past Covers --- About Us --- Contact Us --- Write For Us