Tania Fernandes Anderson attends first Boston City Council hearing since agreeing to plead guilty
Embattled Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson dodged news cameras Wednesday during her first City Council hearing since she agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges.
"Sorry, I can't speak with you guys, thank you," Fernandes Anderson said after telling reporters she would take questions after a city council hearing.
Says she will be resigning
The District 7 councilor appeared in the council chamber a day after the plea agreement was announced, hinting in the meeting that a resignation is on the way.
"I do hope that the conversations for my district, as I'm building out a transition plan," said Fernandes Anderson, in part, during the hearing.
Fernandes Anderson took a plea deal this week after she was indicted for taking a $7,000 kickback in 2023. Federal prosecutors said she hired a relative, gave them a $13,000 bonus and received a $7,000 kickback inside of a Boston City Hall bathroom.
"It seems that there has been a resolution in this situation and it is incredibly unfortunate and we will be working to support the district and make sure that services and city programs can still be available for residents," Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday morning while promising to keep services running for District 7 residents.
Fernandes Anderson, who represents Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End refused to resign when she was arrested back in December.
"I've been hearing since she was arrested that people had been feeling a lack of trust in government," Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy explained. "The public is asking for elected officials to be more responsible and I do believe that we should be held to higher standards."
Call for city council ethics reform
Fellow councilors added the city will now prepare for a special election to fill her seat when she resigns while exploring potential ethics reform within the council.
"We need to acknowledge that we have lost credibility and the question is – what are we going to do about it," Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said. "We just can't pretend that nothing happened."
Federal prosecutors are suggesting a year in prison, but a sentencing date hasn't been set.
