Embattled councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson says goodbye to City Hall

In her goodbye remarks to City Hall on Wednesday, Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson praised her coworkers and staff while denouncing the pernicious nature of municipal politics. Others in the chamber even sent heartfelt thank-you notes to Fernandes Anderson, who resigned recently after entering a guilty plea to federal public corruption charges.

Scandal-plagued city councilor wants to celebrate at final meeting before leaving office
Fernandes Anderson officially resigns from Boston City Council
Read the full federal indictment of Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson

Fernandes Anderson will leave her position as an elected official on July 4 after submitting her letter of resignation earlier this month. She proposed eleven separate initiatives on a range of subjects at the last full City Council meeting of her term, which took place on Wednesday.

Fernandes Anderson and her staff created a huge District 7 workbook, which was the sole resolution of hers that was not adopted. The booklet is intended to serve as a civic education tool for citizens and a comprehensive strategy for the district’s future City Council representative. Fernandes Anderson aimed to establish it as a groundbreaking and innovative model. The resolution was only backed by five councilors.

Regarding the workbook, she stated, “It is my baton for the next councilor.” I had first said that District 7 constituents should have consistency and a tool to build upon because there is too much churn in the district.

Fernandes Anderson has been criticizing the turnover in her district, but her efforts are making things worse for people. Until Fernandes Anderson’s successor is chosen in the autumn, District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and a portion of the South End, will not have direct representation on the City Council.

Last December, federal officials arrested the troubled councilor on charges of organizing an illicit bribery scheme involving a family member she had surreptitiously hired to work for her. According to the prosecution, she gave that individual a huge incentive in exchange for secretly returning $7,000 to Fernandes Anderson. They said that the final cash handoff took place in a restroom inside City Hall.

At first, Fernandes Anderson refused to retire and entered a not guilty plea. When she consented to enter a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft pertaining to a federal program in April, that changed. Next month, Fernandes Anderson is expected to be sentenced. Prosecutors from the federal government suggested that she be given a year and a day in prison and made to pay $13,000 in reparations.

Fernandes Anderson encouraged supporters to join her in celebrating before Wednesday’s meeting. She spoke extensively on her tenure in government throughout the event. “I worked hard to create a government that serves everyday people since I was elected in 2021 as the first Muslim-American and the first African immigrant to serve on the body,” she added.

She became disillusioned, nevertheless. According to her, the system is doing what it is supposed to do: safeguarding the rich, appeasing a lot of people, and punishing those who don’t play pretend. The deck is tilted against individuals who speak truth to power in politics, according to Fernandes Anderson. She claimed that ineffectual grandstanding and performative compassion for constituents frequently dilute and sweep out the strongest ideas.

Mayor Michelle Wu received scathing criticism from Fernandes Anderson. She claimed that the mayor represents a form of corporate liberalism that is more focused on identity and style than on finding solutions to difficult issues. Fernandes Anderson stated that although Wu is representative of this strategy, she is also the offspring of a managerial class that is, at most, reformist.

But, according to Fernandes Anderson, “you cannot reform that which is rotten.”

According to Fernandes Anderson, her coworkers are decent people trapped in a flawed system. During the hearing, some decided to openly thank her. As she thanked Fernandes Anderson for her leadership and for assisting her in understanding the inner workings of local government, Councilor Julia Mejia became extremely emotional. According to Mejia, Fernandes Anderson steadfastly advocated for racial justice and responsibility.

Mejia choked back tears as she told Fernandes Anderson, “I believe that’s what you have done since the moment you walked into this chamber, and it is the reason why you became enemy number one.”

High marks were also given by Councilor Brian Worrell, who praised her efforts to engage with the community and even likened her to a famous abolitionist.

“You’re Harriet Tubman from Boston,” he informed her.

In her warm remarks, Council President Ruthzee Louijeune praised Fernandes Anderson for her emphasis on racial fairness and wished her and her family well. Following Fernandes Anderson’s arrest, Louijeune was among several councilors who publicly demanded her resignation.

Others had a distinct tone. Following the meeting, Councilor Ed Flynn—who spearheaded the effort to have Fernandes Anderson resign—criticized the celebration on social media and reiterated his desire for broader ethical reform.

The @BOSCityCouncil should have collaborated to establish a code of conduct and ethics reform for local elected officials in place of today’s celebration. By our behaviors, we must exhibit morality, honesty, responsibility, openness, and constructive leadership.#Bospoli

Councilor Erin Murphy charged Fernandes Anderson with undermining public confidence and not taking responsibility for her conduct prior to Wednesday’s meeting.

It is not merely passive indifference to celebrate or ignore significant misbehavior; rather, it actively undermines public confidence. Murphy said in a statement that leaders fail the very values they were elected to defend when they reject responsibility or brush off scandal. By acting as though nothing occurred, we are essentially endorsing the misconduct and conveying the idea that moral transgressions can be ignored.

Since 2022, Ross Cristantiello has been a general assignment news correspondent for Boston.com, covering a variety of topics including as local politics, crime, and the environment.