There was a time not too long ago when politicians embroiled in scandals put constituents before career and resigned from their posts.

They may have done so reluctantly, but they did it.  It was the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, we live in the age of doubling down, and that’s especially true on the Boston City Council.

Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is the latest in the sorry-not-sorry lineup. She admitted this week to violating the state’s conflict of interest law by hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her staff, and agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.

As the Herald reported, the State Ethics Commission said Tuesday that Fernandes Anderson appointed her sister and son to full-time positions in 2022, her first year on the City Council.

Fernandes Anderson set her sister’s salary at $65,000. She awarded her sister a raise in June 2022, increasing her salary to $70,000 and tacking on a $7,000 bonus, the Ethics Commission said.

In June 2022, Fernandes Anderson appointed her son as her full-time office manager at an annual salary of $52,000. She participated in the Council’s July 15 vote to approve the appointment. Eleven days later, the councilor increased her son’s salary to $70,000, the Commission said.

Fernandes Anderson ended her family members’ employment on Aug. 31, 2022.

Remorse? Not quite.

Fernandes Anderson tweeted Tuesday in a post that included a photo of her and her sister as children “You are my everything and if it wasn’t unethical, I would do it again.”

There are a lot of family businesses in Boston – but City Hall shouldn’t be one of them.

“I messed up and should have paid attention to those training videos,” she said in a separate tweet. “I was a rookie, nonetheless, it was negligent. I corrected it as soon as I knew better.”

One could say that not giving family members cushy jobs would fall fall under ethical  common sense, but you couldn’t say it to Fernandes Anderson.

She’s paid her fine, like fellow Councilor Felix Arroyo, slapped by the Ethics Commission with a $3,000 penalty, and there’s zero chance a resignation is on her to-do list.

This is the age of So What politics, where paying a fine takes the place of accountability.

After Councilor Kendra Lara crashed a car into a Jamaica Plain home, she did apologize, but she didn’t stop there.

“We are all accountable for our actions, and I am no different, which is why I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the people of District 6,” Lara said in the statement. “As an elected official, I’ve worked hard to center the dignity and humanity of my constituents. Today, I ask you to also see mine as I work to correct my mistake.”

That’s the who-among-us-hasn’t-sinned apology.

City Council President Ed Flynn weighed in on Tuesday, saying, “It gives me no pleasure to once again address neighbors who are rightfully concerned about troubling legal and ethical lapses involving another member of the City Council.”

He should probably have a template made where he just has to swap the name of the next errant councilor.

“The residents of Boston deserve serious leaders who provide ethical leadership and work hard to maintain the public’s trust, especially during these challenging times,” he said.

We know that – but do the city councilors in question?