For her Boston City Council last stand on Wednesday, Tania Fernandes Anderson had the ideal location at her fingertips. She could have appeared in court in the restroom of City Hall, where federal prosecutors claim she received $7,000 in cash as part of a kickback scheme.
Accountability, which was conspicuously absent from the Council meeting in chambers, may have been the gathering’s subject.
Anyone attending the meeting would have thought that the District 7 councilor was riding off in a blaze of glory if they were unaware of the corruption and theft case against Fernandes Anderson. Fernandes Anderson gave her constituents a final laundry list of the issues she addressed.
When she managed the finances to emerge $7,000 richer, she disappointed them all.
However, neither Fernandes Anderson nor anybody else ever mentioned the elephant in the room. There were times of head-smacking irony and pure rage when the reason why Fernandes Anderson would not be returning to join her old colleagues was ignored.
In her parting speech, Fernandes Anderson stated, “I entered this world the same way I exit 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.” Thank you to my District 7 residents. I fought because of you.
What is the spirit of?
“Because, let’s face it, the system is designed to accommodate politeness, not truth,” she added. Anyone who attempts to leave that theater runs the risk of being shunned or worse because it only accepts performance, not honesty.
Integrity is not tolerated by the system, which is why Fernandes Anderson was arrested and will be sent to prison on July 29.
Fernandes Anderson should at least apologize to her fellow council members and her constituents. Integrity would be the source of the action.
The councilor’s transgression of the law is rarely unique among Massachusetts lawmakers.
In 2011, before being sentenced, the disgraced former Speaker of the House, Sal DiMasi, begged a judge for leniency, saying, “I have brought dishonor to the office I held a pain I will never be able to soothe.” DiMasi was found guilty of accepting bribes totaling $65,000.
Tom Finneran, the former Speaker of the House, was found guilty of impeding justice by giving false testimony and was imprisoned in federal court in 2007. It wasn’t a proud moment, but at least he admitted that I was ashamed. I embarrassed my family. To my constituents, I apologize. I’m sorry, Massachusetts residents.
District 7 should be held accountable.
Although some of her coworkers were adamantly on Team Ignore the Obvious, the City Council also shares this opinion.
Liz Breadon, a councilor, spoke first. I would like to express my gratitude to Fernandes Anderson for his numerous contributions and examples.
She has undoubtedly served as an illustration of what occurs when a public official enriches themselves through a dubious transaction. One should not minimize corruption. Voters are insulted by that as well.
The new councilor for District 7 should be someone who understands people’ interests and concerns and fights for them. One who is aware that a pending federal sentence is not related to the gravity of one’s convictions.
