The “egregious” public corruption charges leveled at Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson quickly left the mayor, the City Council president and three other councilors calling for her resignation.
Mayor Michelle Wu, Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, and Councilors Sharon Durkan, Ed Flynn, and Erin Murphy all urged Fernandes Anderson, who vowed earlier this week that she had no plans to depart her role upon revelation of the existence of a federal probe, to resign.
“Like any member of the community, Councilor Fernandes Anderson has a right to a fair legal process,” Wu said in a statement. “But the serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city. I urge Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign.”
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune also called for Fernandes Anderson to step down, while speaking to the “severity” of the allegations.
“As the president of the Boston City Council, I work to ensure that the body acts with integrity and centers the needs of all residents,” Louijeune said in a statement. “Public trust is paramount in our line of work, especially at the local level. Councilor Fernandes Anderson has every right to due process in a court of law.
“Given the severity of the allegations brought against her, and the direct impact that they have on residents’ ability to see the Boston City Council as their faithful stewards, it is in the best interest of the body that she resign. This would allow the legal process to unfold without undue disruption to the body.”
Flynn, while referencing prior ethical and legal lapses from Fernandes Anderson and ex-councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara, the latter of whom were both ousted from the body last year, also said he planned to file an order Friday for an ethics committee.
“Today, I will file an order for a hearing to establish an ethics committee at the Boston City Council,” Flynn said in a statement. “The allegations against Councilor Fernandes Anderson are very troubling and I believe she should resign.
“This unfortunately follows a series of legal and ethical lapses by members of the Boston City Council over the last several years, which have both reflected poorly on the city and distracted us from doing the people’s business,” he added. “It is critical that elected officials, who have been placed in positions of public trust, work to provide positive and ethical leadership.”
Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday morning at her Dorchester home on federal public corruption charges in connection with an alleged kickback scheme that involved her pocketing roughly $7,000 of a $13,000 bonus she had doled out to a relative she hired as a paid member of her Council staff, according to the feds and court documents.
The handoff was coordinated by Fernandes Anderson and took place in a Boston City Hall bathroom in June 2023, per a federal indictment unsealed Friday.
Councilor-at-Large Erin Murphy called the allegations against Fernandes Anderson “disturbing,” while joining the mayor and her colleagues in calling for the resignation.
“I firmly believe that any official who engages in criminal activity or unethical behavior must be held fully accountable; we are here to uplift and protect the people of Boston, not exploit our positions for personal benefit,” Murphy said in a statement. “These allegations are disturbing, and the residents of District 7 deserve better. Tania should step down and let the work of the Council continue not under a cloud of illegal activity.”
Councilor Sharon Durkan also called for Fernandes Anderson to step down, calling the charges “deeply troubling” and ones that “represent an unacceptable breach of public trust.”
“These allegations demonstrate a clear failure to uphold the integrity and fiduciary responsibilities required of a public official,” Durkan said in a statement. “The people of Boston deserve leaders who act transparently, ethically, and in the best interests of the community. The allegations against Councilor Fernandes Anderson undermine the confidence of residents and tarnish the reputation of our City Council.
“While Councilor Fernandes Anderson is entitled to a fair legal process, the severity of these charges makes it clear she cannot effectively serve the people of Boston,” Durkan added. “I join Mayor Michelle Wu in calling for her immediate resignation. Only by prioritizing accountability and integrity can we build public trust and ensure that City Hall remains a place of service, not self-interest.”
Councilor John FitzGerald called the allegations “ serious” and “concerning,” but stopped short of calling for Fernandes Anderson to step down, saying that it was “important to let the legal process unfold.”
“As city councilors, we are elected to serve our communities with a commitment to integrity and accountability, holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards,” FitzGerald said in a statement. “Any situation that jeopardizes that trust is profoundly concerning.
“At this time,” he added, “I believe it is important to allow the legal process to unfold and give Councilor Fernandes Anderson the opportunity to address these serious charges.”
Councilor Liz Breadon declined to comment. The remaining councilors did not immediately respond to the Herald’s request for comment about their colleague’s arrest and federal corruption charges.
The revelation of Fernandes Anderson’s alleged involvement in a kickback scheme is the latest controversy to taint the Boston City Council.
Fernandes Anderson was hit with state campaign finance law violations last month, and purged $1,750 from her campaign account to the state to settle the matter, and was hit with a state ethics violation last year for hiring two family members to her Council staff.
Former Councilors Arroyo and Kendra Lara became the first incumbents to lose a preliminary election in four decades last year, after their own lapses.
Arroyo was alleged in a federal report to have worked with former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins to tip an election, when he ran unsuccessfully for Suffolk District Attorney. Arroyo denied the allegations, but Rollins resigned.
Lara was hit with a series of charges after crashing an unregistered car into a Jamaica Plain home, while speeding. It was later revealed that she had not had a valid driver’s license for about a decade, and had been driving “regularly” to and from work at City Hall. The courts ordered her to apologize to the homeowner.
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