As Tania Fernandes Anderson resigns from city council, Boston grapples with her tenure

Tania Fernandes Anderson, the embattled and once promising Boston city councilor who pleaded guilty to corruption charges, will officially resign on Friday.

At the end of July, she faces sentencing for her role in orchestrating a kickback scheme involving city funds. Federal prosecutors say she gave a family member on her staff a $13,000 “supersize bonus,” on the condition they pass thousands to the councilor. Fernandes Anderson admitted that she then accepted $7,000 in cash in a City Hall bathroom in 2023.

In recent weeks, critics have slammed the District 7 councilor for what they say is a lack of accountability — let alone shame — for a crime against taxpayers. Supporters, meanwhile, have sent her off with glowing reviews, applauding her everyday efforts to serve constituents. Whether she’s a victim of her own choices who refuses to grovel or a corrupt politician who has failed to take responsibility depends on whom you ask.

In a wide-ranging interview with WBUR, Fernandes Anderson reflected on her experience as a city councilor. She maintained that she’s proud of her work and, for the most part, sidestepped any frank discussion of her legal case.

As for remorse, she offered a cryptic apology to her district, an area that spans Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End.

“I am saddened for my constituents,” she said sitting at the desk in her City Hall office shortly after her final council meeting. “I am deeply sorry and heartfelt compassion I extend to my constituents.”

She spoke with some of those constituents at a virtual town hall on Saturday afternoon. During the meeting, she shared a 407-page “workbook,” which she described as a kind of blueprint for her successor and the community.

“It  starts with councilor’s vision, introduction, TFA’s view of collaboration, District 7 action plan,” Fernandes Anderson said.

It’s unclear who will use this tome from an indicted city councilor. But former state Sen. Diane Wilkerson, one of about two dozen people in the Zoom meeting and herself a former politician who served jail time, lauded Fernandes Anderson for the lengthy document. “This is no joke, folks,” Wilkerson said.

Other supporters thanked the councilor for advocating on a housing project, help getting mental health care, and for just being a friendly face at the 'Y.'

Said Abdikarim, who’s running to be the next District 7 councilor, also spoke during the town hall. He said it was inspiring to see Fernandes Anderson become the first Muslim and first African immigrant to serve on Boston City Council.

“It was very, very monumental for my family and I the first time you got elected because my daughters saw someone that looks like them, in terms of the hijab,” he said. “We are sad as everyone else, you know, but we wish you the best of luck and we appreciate everything you've done for our district.”

But many others are not so impressed. Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy has questioned whether Fernandes Anderson grasps the reality of her crime.

“She pled guilty to federal charges, stealing money from the city,” Murphy said. “The sense I got is that she didn't feel as though she did anything wrong and that it was the system that somehow, I don't know, forced her to steal money.”

Murphy was particularly put off by Fernandes Anderson’s behavior at her final city council meeting last Wednesday. There, the outgoing councilor joked, laughed and posed hand-on-hip for news photographers. In her last official opportunity to address the body through closing remarks, she made scathing criticisms of the political system. Anyone who expected a sober speech about personal responsibility did not get what they came for.

“I believe that we should be held to a higher standard as elected officials, and this seemed like she was using her position to shield any responsibility or guilt,” Murphy later reflected.

To Fernandes Anderson, what Murphy saw was her resilience — something she said she has in common with “the spirit of District 7.”

“ I am someone who believes in loving people. And my way of doing that is joking and smiling and love and expressing love to them. How I feel inside, I have to take it with God,” she told WBUR. “My constituents don’t need tears. And tears are OK. But I don’t think this needs to be about me.”

Murphy said Fernandes Anderson still owes Bostonians a direct and “sincere apology.” Murphy said the city council deserves one, too.

“I do think it caused stress on the council. You know, for the last few years I've heard a lot, 'Oh, it's a clown show. The council shouldn't be respected,' ” said Murphy.

The council has seen scandal and embarrassment in recent years. Two members were voted out in disgrace in 2023. District 7 also has seen its share of corruption. The late Councilor Chuck Turner spent time in prison after he was found guilty in 2010 for accepting a $1,000 bribe and making false statements to the FBI.

To former Boston city councilor and longtime council advisor Larry DiCara, it’s painful to watch yet another local leader fall.

“ I think it's a sad chapter because someone's been convicted of a crime in the course of their duties,” he said. “I think it's a sad chapter because it's been a distraction preventing the council from focusing perhaps on even more significant issues facing the city.”

In November, District 7 will elect a new city councilor. The race is crowded, with eleven candidates now qualified for the ballot. Meanwhile, Fernandes Anderson hasn't ruled out a return to Boston politics in the future, but didn't say how or where.

“I only want to be in a space if I feel I'm welcomed and I only want to be in a space if I'm doing right by the people," she said.

On July 29, a judge will determine her sentence. Federal prosecutors recommend a year in prison for Fernandes Anderson, plus three years of supervised release, and $13,000 in restitution.

At the end of her virtual town hall Saturday, she asked attendees to pray she stays out of jail so she can remain with her family. She also asked them to say "hello" the next time they see her, adding: they can drop the "councilor" title.

"Tania," she said, "is good."