Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft criticized a City Council push to bypass a special election for Tania Fernandes Anderson’s seat upon her resignation, but said it falls on the mayor to address the “flagrant double standard” in election practices.
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilor Liz Breadon filed a home rule petition Monday that would waive a special election, in the event that Fernandes Anderson, who accepted a plea deal in a federal corruption case, resigns more than 180 days before the general election, as required by the city charter.
Kraft, in a statement released by his campaign Tuesday, raised questions about why the Council was taking a different approach to filling Fernandes Anderson’s Roxbury-centric District 7 seat than it did two years ago, when a councilor’s resignation for a Beacon Hill-centric District 8 seat triggered a special election.
“District 7 deserves to exercise their right to elect their next representative in the City Council, and leaving the seat vacant is just another example of how this community — the largest Black community in Boston — continues to face underrepresentation and economic challenges,” Kraft said.
“Mayor Wu has been silent on this, but needs to answer some questions about a flagrant double standard, which is defined as a rule of principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups,” he said. “So what’s good for Beacon Hill isn’t good for Fort Hill?”
The two councilors’ push to waive a special election differs from the approach the Council took around the same time two years ago, when Kenzie Bok resigned in April 2023 to lead the Boston Housing Authority.
Bok, who represented District 8, was appointed to the role by Mayor Michelle Wu. Councilor Sharon Durkan, who worked for Wu as a political fundraiser and received her endorsement in the race, was tapped to serve the remainder of Bok’s term after winning a special election three months later, in July 2023.
Mayor Wu has declined to take a position on the disparate approaches. A Wu campaign spokesperson on Tuesday referred the Herald to a prior statement released by the mayor’s office.
“The Elections Department stands ready to administer a special election under the city charter as written, but we will review any legislation passed by the Council,” the statement said. “Mayor Wu and her administration are focused on ensuring direct access to resources and services for the residents of District 7, and the mayor has directed additional staff to support the neighborhood services liaisons covering District 7 so that there will be clear coordination and additional capacity.”
Breadon and Louijeune separately mentioned that they’ve heard from community members that they want more time to vet the candidates, and that circumstances are different this year, with a city Elections Department under receivership and Secretary of State William Galvin opposing a special election.
Councilors Erin Murphy, who is pushing for the city to promptly hold a special election, and Ed Flynn have raised early opposition to their colleagues’ home rule petition, saying that it may disenfranchise voters in the Roxbury-based district.