The District is one step closer to having a new chief financial officer today, after the D.C. Council’s finance committee held a mostly uneventful hearing on nominee Jeffrey DeWitt.

Councilmembers reminded DeWitt of his office’s independence; DeWitt promised in turn that he would stay out of politics. A deferential DeWitt started each of his answers by formally addressing the councilmembers and committee chairman Jack Evans—-until Tommy Wells told him to cut it out.

David Catania used the hearing to make one more entry in his blood feud with current CFO Natwar Gandhi. Gandhi cultivated an image as a bean counter, according to Catania. But when it came to things like Nationals Park and District revenue estimates, “he would choose which beans to count.”

“I never fell in love with Dr. Gandhi,” Catania told DeWitt.

The closest DeWitt came to a grilling came from Jim Graham, who asked him about his party registration (Republican, then independent) and whether he included Ward 1’s African-American Civil War Memorial on his sight-seeing (yes).

Graham had another question, too: could DeWitt work well with Latino people? LL would think a Hispanophobe wouldn’t get very far in 40 percent Latino Phoenix, but DeWitt assured him anyway him that that wouldn’t be a problem.

DeWitt’s confirmation is expected to go before the full D.C. Council on Nov. 5.