Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson thanks staff, constituents at final council meeting
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'I thank you from the bottom of my heart,' said Fernandes Anderson. 'I came into this role the same way I leave it — in service, in the spirit of accountability, in the name of dignity, and always, always in the belief that real power rests with the people. To my constituents in District 7, thank you. You are the beating heart of the city. You are the reason I fought."
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Several of her colleagues also spoke before the body to thank her for her service and express appreciation for their time working together.
'Thank you for your leadership, thank you for your emotional intelligence, thank you for your rawness,' said a visibly emotional Councilor Julia Mejia. 'In this chamber in particular, you bring your full wrath into the space and your full heart for the people that you love, and that takes a lot of courage to do, especially in this political climate that we're in.'
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Fernandes Anderson broke several barriers when she was first elected to the council in 2021, becoming the first Muslim, the first formerly undocumented person, and the first African immigrant to serve on the body. She quickly became known for being a vocal advocate for social justice and racial equity issues on the council.
She also was involved in some controversies.
In 2023, she paid a $5,000 fine for violating state ethics rules by hiring and then giving raises to her sister and son.
In December, the news that
The pair exchanged the money in cash in a City Hall bathroom, according to the federal indictment. In the wake of her arrest,
She
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Under state law, the council does not have the authority to remove a sitting councilor unless they have been sentenced for a felony conviction. In
recent weeks, Fernandes Anderson has faced additional criticism for continuing to receive her taxpayer-funded, $120,000 annual salary after officially pleading guilty to federal charges. She's defended her decision to not step down sooner, saying she
wanted to finish her transition plan for her constituents and her eventual successor.
Fernandes Anderson on Wednesday celebrated completing that project: a hundreds of pages-long workbook that she described as a comprehensive guide to local government and everything about District 7.
'This is not sort of like just a handbook or the thing that you go to and just skim through pages, you can actually have tools and templates and worksheets in here to actually educate and support constituents, but also it is my baton for the next councilor,' she said. 'I pray and hope and wish the best of luck to [them].'
According to the city charter, if a district councilor's seat becomes vacant more than 180 days before the next municipal election, it triggers the process of scheduling a special election to fill the seat. That deadline this year has passed, so Fernandes Anderson's position will remain vacant until her successor is decided in the November election.
Niki Griswold can be reached at
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