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Fernandes Anderson returns to work; resignation timeline unclear
If Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson resigns before May 8, a special election will be triggered. Three candidates are already vying for her seat.
City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson showed up to work on Wednesday, despite announcing the previous day that she would plead guilty to federal corruption charges and resign.
Fernandes Anderson represents District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and part of the South End. She participated in Wednesday’s City Council meeting, mostly speaking about the issues surrounding Mass. and Cass. She mentioned building out a “transition plan” and expressed hope that councilors will be better able to incorporate best practices into how they discuss the various problems seen at the troubled intersection.
She was asked by NBC10 Boston about why she decided to return to City Hall Wednesday.
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“You shouldn’t avoid conflict,” Fernandes Anderson told the station. “You should face it, you should grow, you should take accountability.”
Fernandes Anderson was arrested in December and accused of carrying out a kickback scheme involving a member of her staff. In the face of financial hardship in 2023, prosecutors allege she dished out a hefty bonus to that staff member with the agreement that $7,000 would be handed back to her in cash. That transaction eventually occurred in a City Hall bathroom, officials said.
The staff member involved in the kickback scheme was a family member, according to prosecutors, and Fernandes Anderson did not disclose that fact to city officials. The year before, Fernandes Anderson admitted to hiring her sister and her son to paid positions on her staff. She was ordered to fire them and pay a $5,000 penalty. Prosecutors say that that impending fine contributed to her orchestrating the kickback scheme.
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She initially pleaded not guilty and resisted calls for her resignation from multiple colleagues and Mayor Michelle Wu. But on Tuesday court documents were filed showing that she intended to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. The government recommended a sentence of a year and a day, followed by three years of supervised release, and that Fernandes Anderson pay $13,000 in restitution.
Fernandes Anderson released a statement that evening asking for forgiveness and saying that she would resign because “it is the right thing to do.”
“In coming days, I will evaluate transition plans and timeline with the District 7 Advisory Council. I will do everything possible to make an orderly exit to ensure my constituents’ needs are met,” she said Tuesday.
When exactly that resignation will come is unclear, and its timing will determine whether or not a special election will be held. The city’s process for holding special elections is triggered if an elected official is removed from office more than 180 days before the next regular municipal election. The next regular municipal election is scheduled to take place on Nov. 4; therefore, if her resignation comes before May 8 a special election will be triggered.
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Three candidates are already running to fill Fernandes Anderson’s seat: nonprofit executive Said Abdikarim, educator and track coach Said Ahmed, and Mavrick Afonso, who works as director of external affairs for the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Wu and multiple councilors said this week that they would be working with those in District 7 to make sure they are supported and have their needs represented in the interim.
Councilor Ed Flynn pushed for the creation of a City Council Ethics Committee after Fernandes Anderson was initially arrested, but could not muster enough support from his colleagues. He is renewing that effort now.
When asked by NBC10 if she was concerned that she had violated the trust of her constituents, Fernandes Anderson replied: “Of course.”
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