The creation of an ethics committee is presented to the municipal council following the arrest of Fernandes Anderson

Local News

Following the arrest of councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson on corruption charges, councilors are expected to explore the possibility of forming a new ethics committee.

Following the arrest of Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson last week, her colleagues may soon consider forming a formal ethics committee for the organization.

Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday morning on charges of public corruption. Councilor Ed Flynn presented a hearing order that evening to begin the process of creating an ethics committee. Such a committee would direct additional ethics training for board members and staff, review conflict of interest issues and investigate any suspected violations, according to the hearing order.

The City Council is expected to meet in full session Wednesday, where the order will be discussed and possibly referred to a committee that would hold the actual hearing at a later date.

Advisors and staff are currently required to complete annual training provided by the National Ethics Commission, but there is no dedicated ethics committee. In his hearing order, Flynn referenced similar precedents for ethics oversight in the Massachusetts Legislature and the U.S. Congress. He also discussed the fact that the New York City Council has a Standards and Ethics Committee that, among other things, oversees the city’s Conflict of Interest Board.

“The people of Boston deserve the highest standards of leadership from the Boston City Council,” the order states.

After Fernandes Anderson’s arrest, Flynn was one of many elected to request his resignation. But he also went beyond this specific incident, referencing other recent scandals.

“The allegations against Councilman Fernandes Anderson are troubling and unfortunately follow a series of legal and ethical failings by Boston City Council members over the past several years that have undermined public trust in our work,” Flynn said in a statement in Boston. com. “The people of Boston deserve the highest standards of leadership from the Boston City Council. I believe the creation of an ethics committee will provide more oversight and transparency on potential violations within the Boston City Council.

Following today’s arrest of a colleague from the municipal council, I proposed a @BOSCityCouncil Ethics Committee. The creation of this committee will provide oversight and transparency of potential violations within government. Boston residents deserve the highest standards of conduct from city officials. pic.twitter.com/uTsDn7wjAI

– Ed Flynn 愛德華費連 (@EdforBoston) December 6, 2024

Mayor Michelle Wu, herself a former city council member, has spearheaded calls for Fernandes Anderson’s resignation, saying “the seriousness of these accusations undermines public trust and will prevent him from effectively serving the city.” city ​​”. Wu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Fernandes Anderson was charged with five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft involving programs receiving federal funds, according to a unsealed indictment. The advisor allegedly lied about hiring a family member as an employee and concocted a kickback scheme in which she would distribute a large bonus to the family member with an agreement that $7,000 would be returned to him.

On the instructions of Fernandes Anderson, this $13,000 bonus was deposited into a bank account and then withdrawn in three parts on different dates. Fernandes Anderson agreed to meet the family member in a bathroom at City Hall in June 2023, where he was given $7,000 in cash. prosecutors say.

She pleaded “not guilty” and was released on conditions after making a brief appearance Friday afternoon in federal court.

Fernandes Anderson, according to the indictment, was experiencing financial difficulties in early to mid-2023. She missed rent and car payments, incurred overdraft fees and already owed $5,000. civil penalty for hiring his sister and son into paid positions on his team in 2022.

The bribery scheme was allegedly communicated to Fernandes Anderson’s family member in May 2023. A month before, Fernandes Anderson had been make headlines for proposing that councilors be given more money to allocate to staff salaries. Each advisor receives several hundred thousand dollars to pay staff bonuses and salaries.

She sought to increase the stipend from $315,000 to $390,000 a year, citing Boston’s high cost of living and the long hours of many employees. Staff salary ordinances are often approved at council meetings without debate, but the information is publicly available.

Fernandes Anderson therefore distributed bonuses to all of its employees in May 2023, but said that the person later revealed to be a family member would receive a larger bonus to compensate them for their previous volunteer work. That bonus ended up being twice as large as the total amount of all bonuses paid to his other employees combined, according to the indictment.